Placental Growth Factor Diagnostic Testing: An Opportunity to Transform Pregnancy Care for Patients With Suspected Preeclampsia in Canada
Kelsey McLaughlin, Melanie C. Audette, Harrison Banner, Jon Barrett, Emmanuel Bujold, Honzer Chen, Nicole J. Cohen, Tina Delaney, Ernesto Figueiro, Rachel A. Gladstone, Venu Jain, Jessica Liauw, Isabelle Malhamé, Elad Mei‐Dan, Nir Melamed, Kellie E. Murphy, Chris Nash, Christy Pylypjuk, Naila Ramji, Anjana Chandran, Shani Robertson, Karen C. Tran, Ana Werlang, Rebecca L. Zur, John Kingdom, John W. Snelgrove
Abstract
Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and adverse perinatal outcomes in Canada. Growing evidence supports the novel blood-based biomarker placental growth factor (PlGF) as a diagnostic test to accelerate the timely diagnosis of preeclampsia, enhancing care for hypertensive pregnant patients. Despite national endorsement, challenges like regional disparities and test standardization hinder PlGF implementation. The Canadian PlGF Strategy & Research Consortium convened with representation from clinicians, researchers, and patient partners to discuss the current state of PlGF testing. We universally agreed there is an urgent need to implement diagnostic PlGF testing to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes in Canada.