Preterm premature rupture of membranes: experience with latent periods in excess of seven days.
The purpose of this study was to review the maternal and neonatal outcomes of patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) with a latency period greater than 7 days. Using the perinatal database, there were 11,007 deliveries in a 25-month period, in which 81 patients (0.7%) with singleton pregnancies were admitted with documented PPROM between 20 and 30 weeks' gestation. Twenty-one patients (26%) remained undelivered after 1 week, and 19 of these patients were discharged to outpatient care. Twelve patients (57%) delivered at term and nine patients (43%) delivered prematurely. In the preterm group all reported increased leaking prior to delivery and all neonates had 5-minute Apgar scores higher than 7. Length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for all the preterm neonates ranged from 12 to 117 days. The majority of patients with PPROM will deliver within 1 week, but there is a subset of patients with PPROM (one of every seven), characterized by the absence of labor or infection, who may be managed as outpatients and delivered at term.
Philipson
E H
EH
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut 06102-5037.
Hoffman
D S
DS
Hansen
G O
GO
Ingardia
C J
CJ
D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D007902:Length of Stay; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D013997:Time Factors