Nashville woman becomes first in US to receive new ‘Preeclampsia Test’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - When Tyesha Kinnard is asked about her recent pregnancy which ended abruptly February 9, 2024 at 33 weeks gestation, she responds with one word, traumatic.

“That’s the word I say: traumatic,” says Kinnard.

At 32 weeks gestation, just over 7 months pregnant, Tyesha began developing concerning symptoms including swelling in her legs, feet and hands, the feeling of pins and needles in her feet anytime she walked, an inability to breathe and constant headaches.

“[People] would say to me ‘Oh, it’s because you’re pregnant, that’s why you feel like this,’ but I felt like something wasn’t right,” says Kinnard.

Three days later, at a regularly scheduled pregnancy doctor’s appointment, her blood pressure readings were cause for concern. When Tyesha shared with her doctor the other symptoms she was having, the doctor’s tone changed.

“She was like ‘You need to be admitted to the hospital right now,’” recalls Tyesha of the conversation that happened Tuesday, February 6, 2024. “I was scared because I knew I wasn’t full term and I didn’t want anything to happen to my baby.”

Tyesha was admitted to Ascension St. Thomas Midtown, which delivers about 7,000 of the approximately 80,000 babies born statewide, each year. Because of its size and delivery volume, the hospital completes more high-risk deliveries than any other hospital in Tennessee.

On her second day in the hospital, Tyesha was visited by someone she did not know, Dr. Cornelia Graves. Dr. Graves is the Medical Director for Perinatal Services at Ascension Saint Thomas as well as a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, which means she cares for women during their high-risk pregnancies. She serves as an expert physician for the national nonprofit Preeclampsia Foundation and recently testified before Congress about preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death in pregnant patients.

“[Dr. Graves] introduced herself to me and said she wanted to do this new blood test on me to test for preeclampsia.”

THE TEST

In 2017, clinicians at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario began testing for Placental Growth Factor in pregnant patients. The biomarker, shortened as PlGF, is a key molecule that foretells potential cardiovascular disease in a pregnant woman.

“Preeclampsia is a disease of your heart and your vessels,” says Dr. Graves, who explains that PlGF molecule is a marker that foretells impending heart disease in a pregnant woman. Low levels of PlGF indicate poor placental development and function, which often leads to preeclampsia later on.

The testing supported the integration of PlGF levels in the treatment of pregnant women because Low PlGF levels in high-risk pregnant patients were associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, preeclampsia and stillbirth.

The testing was adopted across Europe because it showed up to 96% accuracy with the prediction of severe preeclampsia. The FDA approved the test for use in America in May 2023. In January 2024, Labcorp announced it had made the test available in the US. Ascension St. Thomas Midtown was the first hospital in the country to receive it because of the work of Dr. Graves as well as St. Thomas’ partnership with LabCorp.

The so-called ‘Preeclampsia Test’ creates a ratio between the PlGF molecule and the sFlt-1 molecule – which indicates the risk of stillbirth of the baby. By comparing these two biomarkers, a patient is assessed a score that indicates the likelihood of impending or in-progress preeclampsia which endangers the life of the mother and the baby.

“Our ability to draw this test may actually answer some questions that we need to answer,” says Dr. Graves. “It allows us to be able to decide those women who really may be at more risk.”

THE DISEASE

Preeclampsia is a disease that occurs during pregnancy or up to 49 days after birth, that affects the entire blood system and organs of the pregnant woman. The disease affects the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, brain and blood pressure. It’s the leading cause of death among pregnant women in America.

“Preeclampsia occurs in 1 in every 6-to-10 pregnancies in Tennessee,” says Dr. Graves. “It can be as many as 1 in 5 if you take into account the number of women who come back in [to the hospital] after they deliver with what we call post-partum preeclampsia.”

Even after preeclampsia is caught and the risk is mitigated through intervention and hospitalization, women go on to have a lifelong risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. The current standard of care is for the patient to go on to be evaluated by a cardiologist to minimize the risk of heart disease as the woman ages.

The preeclampsia rate is 60 percent higher in black women than in white women, and black women are more likely to develop severe preeclampsia.

TYESHA’S OUTCOME

Tyesha Kinnard was the first woman in America to receive the FDA-approved preeclampsia test. The results of that test proved she was amid severe preeclampsia and at risk of losing her life and the life of her baby.

On her fourth day in the hospital, at 7.5 months pregnant, Tyesha was forced to deliver baby Taylin who weighed 4lbs, 5oz. The baby stayed in the NICU for just two weeks before being allowed to go home.

Tyesha’s fight was also incredibly challenging. She hemorrhaged after the birth and required three blood transfusions and three iron transfusions. Tyesha didn’t get to hold her baby until 24 hours after the birth.

“I cried my eyes out,” says Tyesha who was hospitalized for one week after birth and still struggles with the trauma of the abrupt end to her pregnancy.

“We both could’ve died,” says Tyesha.

NEXT STEPS IN FIGHTING PREECLAMPSIA

On May 15, 2024, LabCorp announced it had developed a first-trimester screener for preeclampsia meant to show which women might be at a greater risk for developing the disease in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. It would be administered between 11 and 14 weeks gestation and measure four key early pregnancy biomarkers to provide a comprehensive risk assessment with up to 90% sensitivity.

The blood-based test produces a risk score by measuring two biochemical markers – placental growth factor (PlGF) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A). Low levels of PlGF and PAPP-A indicate poor placental development and function, while high MAP and UtAPI levels indicate high blood pressure and elevated resistance to blood flow across the uterine artery.

The rollout of both tests marks the greatest advancement in preeclampsia management since 1897, the year the disease was given its name.

“A lot of money has not gone into research for women. It’s time,” says Dr. Graves.

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