Adrenomedullin concentrations in umbilical cord plasma of uncomplicated term pregnancies.
OBJECTIVE
The study's objective was to determine whether there is a difference in the plasma concentration of adrenomedullin, a hypotensive peptide, between arterial and venous umbilical cord blood of uncomplicated gestations with vaginal delivery.


METHODS
Arterial and venous umbilical cord blood was obtained immediately after vaginal delivery of 44 term infants with uncomplicated antepartum and intrapartum courses. Radioimmunoassay was performed to assess adrenomedullin concentrations in the plasma. The paired t test was used to compare arterial and venous concentrations. Significance was set at P < .05.


RESULTS
Mean +/- SE adrenomedullin concentrations were 178.7 +/- 4.7 pg/mL and 190.6 +/- 6.3 pg/mL for arterial and venous cord plasma, respectively. The difference between the 2 concentrations was not significant (11.8 pg/mL, P = .09).


CONCLUSIONS
Arterial and venous umbilical plasma concentrations of adrenomedullin do not differ significantly in uncomplicated gestations terminating with uncomplicated vaginal deliveries. This suggests that in the normal state there is neither net production nor net clearance of adrenomedullin in the placenta.
Hoeldtke
N J
NJ
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington, USA.
Wagner
R K
RK
Moore
K H
KH
Calhoun
B C
BC
Hume
R F
RF
D053607:Adrenomedullin; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D014469:Umbilical Arteries; D014471:Umbilical Veins
D010455:Peptides; D053607:Adrenomedullin