Intrapartum hepatitis B screening.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of acute hepatitis B in intrapartum patients and to describe the birth-to-administration interval of the hepatitis B vaccine and immune globulin in hepatitis B surface antigen-positive patients detected by intrapartum screening.


METHODS
Hepatitis B screening was performed on 8712 laboring patients admitted to Forsyth Memorial Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, between July 1, 1992, and Jan. 31, 1994.


RESULTS
Fourteen laboring patients had positive results for hepatitis B surface antigen (prevalence 0.16%), and two of the 14 had a profile consistent with acute disease. The average interval from birth to administration of the hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B virus vaccine was 18.6 hours (range 3.9 to 31.0 hours) for hepatitis B virus-infected patients whose hepatitis B surface antigen status was unknown before labor.


CONCLUSIONS
Intrapartum screening allows for diagnosis of the asymptomatic patient with acute hepatitis B virus infection whose hepatitis B surface antigen status was unknown before labor who would not have received hepatitis B immune globulin had only early prenatal screening been performed.
Petermann
S
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1066, USA.
Ernest
J M
JM
D000208:Acute Disease; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011295:Prenatal Care; D013997:Time Factors
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D007136:Immunoglobulins; C045213:hepatitis B hyperimmune globulin