September 17, 2024
The Kissler Lab at the University of Colorado College of Nursing at the Anschutz Medical Campus studies the variation in the physiology of prolonged labor. In partnership with the University of Colorado Perinatal Research Core, our lab conducts prospective clinical translational research on the physiology of healthy term labor. Our current study evaluates biomarkers of uterine metabolism to better understand the role of uterine muscle fatigue in parturients with prolonged labor. Our central hypothesis is that uterine fatigue plays a significant role in prolonged labor that is refractory to oxytocin augmentation and may benefit instead from interventions to rest and recover the uterus.
Recently, Dr. Kissler secured a K12 post-doctoral training fellowship through the Colorado Clinical and Translational Science Institute to characterize lactate concentrations in the amniotic fluid and uterine electromyography parameters in patients with prolonged labor versus those with normal labor progress. This award will support Dr. Kissler in developing a protocol for collecting measures of uterine muscle fatigue that differentiate underlying causes of labor dystocia. We are also extending our studies to consider uterine contractility in particular populations such as among Black women laboring at a freestanding birth center and during the postpartum period in women at risk for postpartum hemorrhage.
Dr. Kissler joined the Science of Birth cluster in early 2024 to foster collaborations in labor physiology research. In future research, our lab plans to identify labor management strategies that are tailored to the underlying labor physiology of individuals to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes.
Website link: https://profiles.ucdenver.edu/display/36453841
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