Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy Project

Sponsor(s): NHLBI

My Roles: Local Multi-Site Principal Investigator

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PROMMO Trial: Induction of labor in women with rupture of membranes

Sponsor(s): UnityPoint Health-Meriter Foundation

My Roles: Principal Investigator

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MyHEART

Sponsor(s): NHLBI

My Roles: Principal Investigator

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Telehealth for postpartum hypertension- A feasibility project in an African American urban community in Wisconsin

Sponsor(s): Wisconsin Partnership Program

My Roles: Principal Investigator

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Women’s Healthcast: Fourth Trimester: Heart Health after Pregnancy, featuring Kara Hoppe and Megan Knutson-Sinaise

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Posters, presentations, and awards at the 2024 Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine conference

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Bailey, Hoppe co-author CHAP article in Green Journal

UW Ob-Gyn Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow Erin Bailey, MD, MS, is the lead author on a new article about the Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy (CHAP) trial published in Obstetrics and Gynecology! Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, is senior author on the article; co-authors include other researchers who were involved in this large, multicenter trial.

In “Perinatal Outcomes Associated With Management of Stage 1 Hypertension”, Bailey, Hoppe, and co-authors conduct a secondary analysis of the CHAP trial data to compare pregnancy outcomes for people with blood pressure below 30/80 mm Hg with outcomes in blood pressures of 130–139/80–89 mm Hg. The study found:

“…mean BP below 130/80 was associated with decreased risk of severe preeclampsia and medically indicated preterm birth before 35 weeks of gestation but not with placental abruption or fetal or neonatal death. Similarly, BP group was not associated with SGA less than the 10th percentile or less than the 5th percentile.”

Read the whole study here!

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CHAP trial awarded trial of the year by Society for Clinical Trials

The Chronic Hypertension And Pregnancy (CHAP) trial, a multisite study led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) with a collaborating site at the University of Wisconsin, received the David Sackett Annual Trial of the Year Award from the Society for Clinical Trials!

Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, was the lead investigator for the UW arm of the study. The UW site enrolled its first patient in 2017; in 2022, Hoppe co-authored the study’s results in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Trial of the Year Award recognizes a randomized clinical trial that improves the lot of humankind and provides the basis of a substantial, beneficial change in health care. The CHAP trial, which evaluated the effects of blood pressure medication for pregnant people with mild hypertension, more than meets those criteria, according to this article from UAB:

“Results published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April 2022 showed treatment improved pregnancy outcomes without compromising the baby’s growth and overall health, which was a primary concern for physicians for years. CHAP results have since led to changes in national guidelines.”

Congratulations to Dr. Hoppe and the whole CHAP trial team on this incredible honor! You can read more about the trial and the award in this press release from UAB.

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Hoppe’s Staying Healthy After Childbirth project with PRC publicized on WORT

The Staying Healthy After Childbirth​ program, led by Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, is the new core research project in the UW-Madison Prevention Research Center. WORT Community Radio in Madison covered the launch of Hoppe’s research with UWPRC at a recent community event.

The radio story “CDC-Funded Center Prioritizes Birthing Justice” outlines the goals of Hoppe’s STAC program:

“Her research at the Center as a Principal Investigator focuses on the six-week period postpartum, a time that is so often overlooked in medicine. Patients are typically sent home after a couple of days of recovery and many of them won’t see their doctors again until the standard six-week check up. More than 20 percent of mothers in Wisconsin are recorded to have high-blood pressure during their pregnancy or immediately following childbirth.

While most of these patients work closely with their doctors throughout pregnancy and are carefully monitored for any complications, their own health is often neglected postpartum with the chaos of caring for a newborn. This leaves a lot of room for error and even tragedy.”

You can listen to or read the whole story here.  

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Staying Healthy After Childbirth selected for Phase II HHS Hypertension Innovator Award Competition

Huge congratulations to Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, whose Staying Healthy After Childbirth program was chosen as one of 15 Phase II awardees for the HHS Hypertension Innovator Award Competition by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health (OWH)!

The Hypertension Innovator Award Competition was created to identify effective hypertension programs that could be applied to hypertension during pregnancy or postpartum:

“Phase 2 of the competition is rewarding programs from Phase 1 that demonstrated sustainability and the ability to replicate and/or expand effective monitoring and follow-up of hypertension.  Our focus on expansion is a vital part of our commitment to reduce the rates of maternal morbidity and mortality and improve maternal health outcomes during pregnancy and postpartum.”

Learn more about Staying Healthy After Childbirth and read the whole HHS press release here. Incredible work, Dr. Hoppe!

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2020 Women’s Health and Health Equity Research Lecture & Symposium poster awards

On October 8, nearly 170 people tuned in for the virtual UW Women’s Health and Health Equity Research Lecture and Symposium for amazing presentations: Erica Marsh, MD, of the University of Michigan, presented the keynote lecture “Ministration without Representation: The Essential Roles of Inclusion and Voice in Creating Health Equity.” We also learned about substance use policies in health systems and how they affect neonatal abstinence syndrome from Christine Durrance, PhD; patient-centered and autonomy-based contraceptive counseling from Health Disparities Research Scholar Leigh Senderowicz, ScD, MPH; and disparities in gynecologic cancer research funding from Ryan Spencer, MD.

This year’s event also included a virtual poster session, and we’re pleased to announce the 2020 Women’s Health and Health Equity Research Lecture & Symposium poster award winners:

Basic science and pre-clinical

Agonist-dependent effects on sustained Ca2+ signaling in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells 

Author: Carly Albright

Clinical and translational

Examining the joint effect of race and neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage on adverse obstetric outcomes: retrospective cohort study 

Authors: Kara Hoppe, DO; Linnea Evans, PhD; Alexa Lowry, MD; Felicity Harl, MD

Congratulations to the authors of these excellent research posters! 

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Hoppe’s telehealth grant featured in Wisconsin Partnership Program article

A new article from the Wisconsin Partnership Program features the “Advancing Postpartum Care For Black Women in Wisconsin By Engaging Community Partners With a Home Telehealth Service for Hypertension” program, led by UW Ob-Gyn Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist Kara Hoppe, DO! The program is funded by a WPP New Investigator grant. 

In the article, Hoppe discusses the postpartum health concerns that led her to start the Staying Healthy After Childbirth home telehealth hypertension program. Tia Murray, co-investigator on the grant and co-founder of Harambee Village Doulas, offers insight into the community-academic partnership of the grant, and the importance of including doulas in the work:

“The role of community-based doulas and certified lactation counselors in this project is essential in providing social and emotional support for mothers while fostering a trusting relationship. The doulas work on addressing postpartum care, lactation, and social and mental health needs for women in the program.”

Read the whole article here!

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UW Ob-Gyn brings research, developments to 2021 SMFM Conference

Faculty, residents, fellows, researchers and more brought numerous posters and presentations to the virtual 2021 Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Annual Meeting at the end of January! Learn more about the wealth of research shared by our colleagues at the conference:

PRESENTATION:

Racial disparities in post-operative pain experience and treatment following cesarean birth

John Poehlmann; Tiffany Green, Katie Antony, Amy Godecker

POSTERS:

Trouble with the curve: Is an ultrasound growth curve needed to predict SGA infants?

Bradley Bosse; Jacquelyn Adams, Melissa Meyer, John Poehlmann, Janine Rhoades, Igor Iruretagoyena

Obtaining accurate blood pressures: A quality improvement initiative to increase obstetric nursing knowledge and confidence

Matt Wagar; Jacquelyn Adams, Amy Godecker, Katie Antony

Prediction of vaginal delivery utilizing intrapartum transperineal ultrasound

Stephanie Peace; Melissa Meyer, Jacquelyn Adams, Katie Antony; Luther Gaston

Comparing 32-week vs 36-week growth ultrasound for prediction of LGA infants in obese gravidae

John Poehlmann; Jacquelyn Adams, Melissa Meyer, Jenna Racine, Janine Rhoades, Igor Iruretagoyena

Impact of a Standardized Post-Cesarean Analgesia Regimen on Postpartum Opioid Use

Melissa Meyer; Katie Antony

The impact of pre-existing maternal anxiety on pain and opioid use following cesarean birth

John Poehlmann; Amy Godecker, Katie Antony

Blood pressure pattern of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is highly affected by obesity

Narmin Mukhtarova (MFM research intern); Kara Hoppe co-authored

Postpartum blood pressure of Black women is significantly higher compared to non-Black women

Narmin Mukhtarova (MFM research intern); Kara Hoppe co-authored

Did institutional changes and patient behaviors surrounding COVID-19 affect perinatal outcomes?

Jenna Racine; Igor Iruretagoyena, Kara Hoppe

Distance matters. The effect of distance to the hospital on estimated blood loss.

Kara Hoppe; Alexa Lowry

Blood pressure pattern pre-pregnancy through 42-day postpartum of women with preeclampsia, gestational, and chronic hypertension

Narmin Mukhtarova (MFM research intern); Kara Hoppe

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UW Ob-Gyn brings posters, presentations to 2022 SMFM Annual Pregnancy Meeting

Though the meeting was virtual this year, the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine brought an impressive raft of research to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s 42nd Annual Pregnancy Meeting! Read about some of the incredible posters and presentations they shared at the conference:

Risk calculator for hypertension related postpartum readmission - Jinxin Tao, Yonatan Mintz, Ramsey Larson, Dakota Dalton, Kara Hoppe

(check out the risk calculator, recently published on Dr. Hoppe’s Staying Healthy After Childbirth site!)

A Spatial Approach to Examining Individual and Disparity-Level Factors and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy - Erin Bailey, Maria Kamenestky, Alexa Lowry, Ronald Gangnon, Kara Hoppe

Is isolated small head circumference at 20 weeks predictive of FGR or SGA at delivery? - Brad Bosse, Madeline Wetterhahn, Erin Bailey, Janine Rhoades, J. Igor Iruretagoyena, Jacquelyn Adams 

A Spatial Approach to Examining Individual and Disparity-Level Factors and Birth Outcomes - Alexa Lowry, Maria Kamenetsky, Erin Bailey, Ronald Gangnon, Kara Hoppe

Understanding endothelial dysfunction in preterm preeclampsia with severe features: utility of bedside brachial artery Doppler - Jenna Racine, Ryan Pewowaruk, Alejandro Roldan-Alzate, Ian Bird, Jason Austin, Dinesh Shah, J. Igor Iruretagoyena

Diabetes Distress Scores and Black race predicts poorer diabetes control in third trimester - Jennifer Jacobson, Amy Godecker, Jennifer Janik, April Eddy, Jacquelyn Adams

Is an isolated short femur an indication for growth ultrasounds? - Erin Bailey, Brad Bosse, Madeline Wetterhahn, J. Igor Iruretagoyena, Janine Rhoades, Jacquelyn Adams

Predicting small for gestational age infants: is it time to update the Hadlock model? - Joseph Chou, Brad Bosse, Madeline Wetterhahn, Jacquelyn Adams

Do obese women without comorbid conditions need a growth ultrasound during pregnancy? - Madeline Wetterhahn, Kathleen Antony, Brad Bosse, Jacquelyn Adams

Congratulations to all!

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UWPRC invites you to two Birthing Justice screenings and launch of Hoppe’s research project in April

The UW-Madison Prevention Research Center invites community members, faculty, students, and staff to two screenings of the film Birthing Justice, “a documentary that flips the victim-blaming narrative by centering the lived experiences of Black women and their advocates as they fix a broken system one birth at a time.” 

The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion and introduction of the new PRC Core Research Project led by UW Ob-Gyn Associate Professor Kara Hoppe, DO, MS!

Hoppe’s research centers on cardiovascular health during the prenatal and postnatal periods. Her previous research has centered on Black women receiving doula services to support in-home blood pressure monitoring to address preeclampsia and HTN, a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity among birthing people. The fetus/infant is also at risk due to preterm labor and low-birth weight.

The community event will take place during Black Maternal Health Week on April 11 from 5-8 at the Urban League in Madison. Dinner will be served. Learn more and register for the April 11 event.

A campus event will be focused on academic staff and students on April 27 in HSLC room 1345 from 12:00-2:30. Community members are also welcome to attend. Learn more and register for the April 27 event.

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Hoppe presents Community Talk “High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy & Beyond”

In the first UW Ob-Gyn Healthy Women Community Talk​ of the year, Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, shared research and resources about hypertension and pregnancy.

In “High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy and Beyond”, Hoppe helped participants understand blood pressure basics, get to know blood pressure ranges during pregnancy and when not pregnant, learn about lifetime risks for cardiovascular disease and other complications after hypertension during pregnancy, and more.

You can watch the whole presentation on YouTube – please share with anyone who may have questions about preparing for healthy pregnancy with high blood pressure, preeclampsia signs and symptoms, or managing their health after having high blood pressure in pregnancy.

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Hoppe’s MyHEART study results published in JAMA

Huge congratulations to Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine! Results from the long-running MyHEART study, which Hoppe became principal investigator of in 2019, were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Effect of a Telephone Health Coaching Intervention on Hypertension Control in Young Adults: The MyHEART Randomized Clinical Trial” examined whether a telephone coaching and blood pressure self-monitoring intervention was effective in reducing blood pressure compared with usual care among young adults with uncontrolled hypertension. In the JAMA study, Hoppe and co-authors found: 

“In this randomized clinical trial of 316 participants, the intervention did not demonstrate a significant difference in systolic or diastolic blood pressures at 6 or 12 months between the intervention and control groups; however, both groups experienced blood pressure reduction. Compared with the control group, participants in the intervention group demonstrated significant behavior changes, including increased physical activity, reduction in dietary sodium intake, and increased frequency in home blood pressure monitoring.” 

You can read the whole study here!

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UW Ob-Gyn brings impressive slate of research to 2023 SMFM meeting

​Faculty, residents, and fellows brought an exciting variety of posters and presentations to the 2023 Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Annual Pregnancy Meeting February 6-11 in San Francisco! Just some of their incredible accomplishments:

Erin Bailey, MD, MS (MFM fellow) presented “Treatment for mild chronic hypertension during pregnancy: is tighter better?” during an oral plenary session to an audience of more than 3,000 people! The abstract won the Norman F. Gant Award for Best Research in Maternal Medicine.

Scott Infusino, MD (MFM fellow) gave an oral presentation during a Fellow Case session: “Mo' Baby, Mo' Problems” 

Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, presented during a Scientific Forum: “The CHAP trial: clinical implications and recommended practice changes”

The department and the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine were also well-represented during poster sessions throughout the conference: 

Poster: Does excess gestational weight gain increase the risk for neonatal hypoglycemia? (Erin Bailey, Carrie Sibbald, Janine Rhoades, Jacquelyn Adams)

Poster: Evaluation of a cesarean surgical site infection (SSI) prevention protocol on SSI and neonatal hypoglycemia (Gabrielle Avery, Daniel Shirley, Sarah Gnadt, Dolores Krickl, Kelly Parrette, Kathleen Antony)

Poster: Body mass index and persistent hypertension in patients with hypertension disorders of pregnancy one-year postpartum (Kara Hoppe and MCW co-authors)

Poster: Prediction modeling of postpartum blood pressure spikes and investigation of preventive management strategies (Jinxin Tao, Scott Infusino, Yonatan Mintz, Kara Hoppe)

Poster: Is interpreter use an independent risk factor for small for gestational age infants? (Carrie Sibbald, Amy Godecker, Erin Bailey, Janine Rhoades, Jacquelyn Adams)

Huge congratulations to all involved!

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UW Ob-Gyn named Preeclampsia Center of Excellence by Preeclampsia Foundation

After a highly successful visit from Preeclampsia Foundation CEO Eleni Tsigas in the summer of 2022, the Department of Ob-Gyn was named a Preeclampsia Center of Excellence!

In June 2022, Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Ian Bird, PhD, professor of Reproductive Sciences, and Derek Boeldt, PhD, assistant professor of Reproductive Sciences, presented their respective clinical and foundational preeclampsia research to Tsigas. The visit also included a roundtable lunch with patients and nurses and a site visit to EPIC, where Hoppe served as the physician representative.

The visit was a tremendous effort from all involved and this Preeclampsia Center of Excellence designation is well-deserved!

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Hoppe earns UPH-Meriter grant to expand Staying Healthy After Childbirth program

Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, was recently awarded a grant from the UnityPoint Health-Meriter Foundation to expand the Staying Healthy After Childbirth program!

Hoppe’s original program, Staying Healthy After Childbirth (STAC), is a six-week postpartum home blood pressure monitoring program with demonstrated success in improving postpartum care for postpartum hypertension through identifying increasing blood pressures early, initiating outpatient treatment, and avoiding readmission. 

The one-year grant for Staying Healthy After Childbirth - My Hypertension Education and Reaching Target program for postpartum – (STAC-MyHEARTp) will pilot a health coaching and home blood pressure monitoring program for one year postpartum. The program aims to:

• Improve postpartum attendance for 12-month hypertension follow-up care among Staying Healthy After Childbirth patients who have chronic hypertension or persistent hypertension at 6-weeks postpartum.
• Improve blood pressure control at 12 months in postpartum patients with chronic hypertension or a hypertension disorder of pregnancy with persistent hypertension at six weeks postpartum.
• Increase lifestyle modification behaviors and health outcomes relating to nutrition and physical activity and cardiovascular disease prevention in postpartum patients with chronic hypertension or a hypertension disorder of pregnancy with persistent hypertension at six weeks postpartum.

Congratulations, Dr. Hoppe!

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Hoppe to become Vice Chair of Clinical Research

Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, has been appointed the new Vice Chair of Clinical Research in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn! This appointment is effective November 1, 2022.

Hoppe will be an incredible asset to the Department of Ob-Gyn’s research platform as Vice Chair of Clinical Research. In this role, she will provide oversight and leadership for clinical research happening across the Department of Ob-Gyn, including: monitoring trial quality; coordinating with department, university, UW Health, and external groups to align trials with patient and institutional needs; overseeing regulatory, budgetary, data collection, and other crucial processes; recruiting and mentoring faculty with an interest in clinical research; supporting clinical research programs for trainees; representing the department in campus and institutional research spaces; and much more. 

Hoppe is an experienced and very successful clinical researcher, making her well-suited for this role. In addition to earning a Master of Clinical Investigation from the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research in 2019, Hoppe has been the principal investigator of several clinical studies she designed, as well as co-investigator on multi-site collaborative trials like the Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy (CHAP) study. Her depth of knowledge of university, industry, and federal research funding and processes will be invaluable to the growth and development of our clinical research platform.

Congratulations, Dr. Hoppe!

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Racine published in Wisconsin Medical Journal

Jenna Racine, MD, assistant professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, is the lead author on a new study published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal!

In “Perinatal Outcomes Associated With Institutional Changes Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic”, Racine and co-authors (including Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division Director Igor Iruretagoyena, MD, and Kara Hoppe, DO, MS) used a retrospective cohort study of singleton births at one hospital. They compared birth outcomes of a pre-COVID and post-COVID group, finding:

“…significant changes in clinical practice secondary to policy changes and patient behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an institution that globally adopted ARRIVE (A Randomized Trial of Induction Versus Expectant Management) practices, we noted fewer inductions, more women presenting in labor and more women delivering at or after 41 weeks. We also noted a shorter length of hospital stay for the mother-baby dyad. Overall, these changes in clinical practice did not affect perinatal outcomes.”

Read the whole study here!

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Hoppe discusses updated treatment recommendations for hypertension in pregnancy with Spectrum News

Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, was a co-author on the recent Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

She joined Spectrum News to discuss updated treatment recommendations for hypertension during pregnancy, strategies for staying on top of blood pressure during pregnancy, and more.

Watch Dr. Hoppe’s interview here!

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Grand Rounds: Hoppe presents “Hypertension in Pregnancy and Young Adults”

On June 9, 2022, UW Ob-Gyn associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, presented the Grand Rounds lecture “Hypertension in Pregnancy and Young Adults”.

In the lecture, Hoppe shared how to classify hypertension, outlined current management recommendations for pregnant and non-pregnant young people with hypertension, discussed the recent Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy study results published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and offered recommendations for practice changes.

Watch the whole lecture here!

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Hoppe co-authors CHAP study published in NEJM; discusses results with Wisconsin media

Results from the national Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy study were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, was the lead investigator for the UW arm of the study and a co-author on the article!

In “Treatment for Mild Chronic Hypertension during Pregnancy”, Hoppe and co-authors shared results from the multicenter, randomized CHAP study comparing pregnancy outcomes when mild chronic hypertension was treated with antihypertensives, or when it was not treated unless hypertension became severe. You can read the whole study here.

Their study found:

“In pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension, a strategy of targeting a blood pressure of less than 140/90 mm Hg was associated with better pregnancy outcomes than a strategy of reserving treatment only for severe hypertension, with no increase in the risk of small-for-gestational-age birth weight.”

The National Institutes of Health issued a press release about the results, which could have widespread impact on pregnancy outcomes for people with mild high blood pressure:

Treating chronic hypertension in early pregnancy benefits parents, babies – NIH

Hoppe spoke with reporters at multiple news outlets in Wisconsin to discuss the results and what they could mean for hypertension treatment during pregnancy in the future:

Treating mild high blood pressure in pregnant women helps mom and baby, study says – Wisconsin State Journal

Study co-authored by UW and MCW researchers finds benefit to treating women even with just mild high blood pressure – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Study finds reducing maternal blood pressure leads to better birth outcomes – UW SMPH

Study with UW Health shows lower blood pressure in mothers protects against birth illnesses – WKOW

Study finds treating maternal blood pressure leads to better birth outcomes – WIFR

Study: Reducing maternal blood pressure leads to better birth outcomes – NBC26

New study shows it's safe to treat pregnant women for mild chronic hypertension – CBS58

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Hoppe published in Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine

Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, published an article in a recent issue of the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine.

In the article “Cost-effectiveness of telehealth with remote patient monitoring for postpartum hypertension”, Hoppe and co-authors (including UW Ob-Gyn residency alum Brenda Niu, MD) evaluate the costs of a remote telehealth blood pressure monitoring program compared to the costs of readmission to the hospital for postpartum hypertension. The study found:

“Telehealth monitoring significantly reduced postpartum readmissions, 3.7% (8/214) versus 0.5% (1/214), and resulted in higher quality-adjusted life years. Telehealth monitoring was cost-effective and cost-saving. Average cost of telehealth per patient was $309, and was cost-effective to a cost of $420 per patient. Telehealth monitoring remained cost-effective down to an admission cost of $10,999 compared to our baseline-estimate for the average admission cost of $14,401. Telehealth monitoring also remained cost-effective when the postpartum readmission rate was 3.0% or higher with standard monitoring. With a cost saving of $93 per patient and an estimated 333,253 pregnant women with hypertension in the US a year, telehealth could reduce health care costs in the US by approximately $31 million a year.”

Read the whole study here.

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Hoppe published in Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine

Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, published a new study in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine.

The article “Longitudinal blood pressure patterns of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: preconception through postpartum” details a retrospective study on nearly 900 people diagnosed with hypertension disorders of pregnancy, using blood pressure measurements taken at 47 points from preconception through the postpartum period:

“This study data could be used to develop evidence-based recommendations for women with an HDP. Diastolic BPs remaining significantly higher than the preconception level indicates the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease. In our cohort, 26% of women had unresolved hypertension by PPD42, which reinforces the necessity to ensure long-term follow-up.”

Read the whole study here. 

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Hoppe’s Staying Healthy After Childbirth earns HHS grant

Huge congratulations to Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine! Hoppe’s Staying Healthy After Childbirth program, a home telehealth monitoring program for postpartum hypertension, was one of 20 recipients of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Phase I Hypertension Innovator Awards.

The Hypertension Innovator Award Competition was created to identify effective hypertension programs that could be applied to hypertension during pregnancy or postpartum:

“The goal of the competition is to demonstrate sustainability and the ability to replicate and/or expand programs that provide effective monitoring and follow-up of hypertension for women who are pregnant and/or postpartum.”

Learn more about Staying Healthy After Childbirth and read the whole HHS press release here. Incredible work, Dr. Hoppe!

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Hoppe’s remote home monitoring program highlighted in video from Meriter

Preeclampsia: a birth story from UnityPoint Health - Meriter on Vimeo.

Preeclampsia affects about 1 in 25 pregnancies. In an incredible new video produced by UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital, Kara Hoppe, DO, MS of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, discusses her Meriter program that helps new parents with high blood pressure stay home and stay healthy after giving birth.

In the video, a former patient who experienced preeclampsia with a past pregnancy shared her story, as well as what it was like to use the remote telehealth monitoring program after going home from the hospital. Hoppe shared statistics about postpartum follow-up for preeclampsia, and common signs and symptoms that would suggest immediate evaluation.

Watch the whole video and learn more about Dr. Hoppe’s program!

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Hoppe discusses hypertension in pregnancy with NHLBI

As part of a meeting with the Women First Research Coalition with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), UW Ob-Gyn maternal-fetal medicine specialist Kara Hoppe, DO discussed high blood pressure during pregnancy and some ongoing research in the U.S.

The meeting served as an opportunity to discuss current women’s health research at the NHLBI, consider future training opportunities, and highlight important areas where women’s health research could be expanded. According to other meeting attendees, Hoppe was a key participant, and her contributions were invaluable.

Incredible work, Dr. Hoppe!

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Hoppe discusses pregnancy complications and heart disease on WKOW

Kara Hoppe, DO, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, spoke with WKOW News in Madison about pregnancy complications that can lead to long-term cardiovascular health issues.

In the interview, Hoppe discussed the need for continued care after experiencing some pregnancy complications:

"It underlines the need for early prevention and treatment of these risk factors. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease for women who experience these complications, as they transition out of pregnancy and postpartum care are really important. It's important to highlight the need for a long term primary care and follow up."

Watch the interview here!

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Hoppe promoted to Associate Professor (CHS)

The UW SMPH CHS Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee approved promotion to the rank of Associate Professor (CHS) for Kara Hoppe, DO, effective July 1, 2021.

Hoppe joined the UW Department of Ob-Gyn and Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in 2015. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hoppe on this exciting achievement!

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Jacobson publishes on severe COVID infection in pregnancy in Case Reports in Women’s Health

A new article by Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellow Jennifer Jacobson, MD outlines treatment of a severe COVID-19 infection in a pregnant patient, offering insight into care for other such patients in the future.

“Use of dexamethasone, remdesivir, convalescent plasma and prone positioning in the treatment of severe COVID-19 infection in pregnancy: A case report” is online now, and will appear in the January 2021 volume of Case Reports in Women’s Health:

“Severe infection with COVID-19 virus in pregnancy offers unique management challenges for the obstetrician and critical care specialist. We report the case of a woman at 26 weeks of gestation with acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to COVID-19 infection treated with dexamethasone, remdesivir, convalescent plasma and mechanical ventilation. Cesarean delivery was performed at 29 weeks due to worsening maternal status. This case offers insight into the assessment and successful use of treatment strategies, including dexamethasone, remdesivir, convalescent plasma, early prone positioning, conservative fluid management, permissive hypoxia and low tidal volume parameters with ventilator support for pregnancies affected by severe COVID-19 infection.”

UW Ob-Gyn MFM faculty Katie Antony, MD, Michael Beninati, MD, and Kara Hoppe, DO are co-authors on this case report. Read the whole article here. Amazing work, Dr. Jacobson!

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Gaston, Hoppe, Spencer earn UW Health Excellence Awards

Three faculty from the UW Department of Ob-Gyn were honored at the UW Health Physician Excellence Awards ceremony on December 7, 2020. The virtual ceremony recognized recipients of 17 excellence awards across the health system. Recipients in our department:

Luther Gaston, MD, of the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, received the UW Health Physician Excellence Rising Star – Clinical Educator Award, which recognizes outstanding educators, with significant emphasis on teaching residents and medical students, as well as other interdisciplinary team members, patients and their families.

Kara Hoppe, DO, of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, received the UW Health Physician Excellence Rising Star Clinical Practice Award, which honors outstanding clinicians who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to safety and quality patient-and-family centered care.

Ryan Spencer, MD, of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, received the UW Health Physician Excellence Rising Star – Leadership Award.

Congratulations to these wonderful physicians!

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Hoppe’s telehealth blood pressure study published in AJOG

Kara Hoppe, DO, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, published results from her telehealth postpartum hypertension management study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology!

“Telehealth with remote blood pressure monitoring compared with standard care for postpartum hypertension” compares outcomes for patients who participated in the telehealth with remote monitoring program with patients who followed current postpartum hypertension standard of care. The study primarily evaluated for postpartum hospital readmission, with secondary variables of “hypertension-related postpartum emergency room (ER) or triage visits, the number of BPs acquired within 10 days of delivery, and the use of antihypertensives in the 6-week postpartum period.”

The study found:

“Telehealth with remote BP monitoring in combination with standardized management of postpartum hypertension was associated with a reduction in the number of readmissions when compared with standard outpatient care. Telehealth with remote BP monitoring offers a promising strategy for achieving higher number of postpartum BP acquisitions, early identification and treatment of uncontrolled hypertension, and ultimately reducing the number of hospital readmissions.”

Read the whole paper here!

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Hoppe earns UW Health Rising Star Clinical Practice award!

Huge congratulations to Kara Hoppe, DO, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine! Hoppe was selected to receive the 2020 UW Health Physician Excellence Rising Star Clinical Practice Award.

The Clinical Practice Rising Star award honors outstanding clinicians who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to safety and quality patient-and-family centered care. Hoppe and other awardees will be honored in a virtual ceremony on December 7, 2020.

Incredible work, Dr. Hoppe!

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