Maternal fever in term labour in relation to fetal tachycardia, cord artery acidaemia and neonatal infection.
OBJECTIVE
To determine 1. whether maternal fever during term labour is associated with acidaemia at birth and neonatal infection and 2. whether fetal tachycardia precedes maternal fever and is associated with neonatal infection.


METHODS
Retrospective matched-pair case-control study.


METHODS
Two hundred and forty-eight newborn infants whose mothers developed fever during term labour (cases) and 248 control infants. The women were matched for parity and duration of labour.


METHODS
Cord artery acid-base status, Apgar scores, neonatal infections, and fetal heart rate before maternal fever.


RESULTS
Mean pH, as well as the rate of cord artery acidaemia at birth (pH < 7.10) was equal in cases and controls (in both groups 7.24% and 6%, respectively). Signs of septicaemia and/or pneumonia were identified in 17 case newborns (7%) and in one control (0.4%; OR 17.0, P < 0.001). Of 212 pairs with complete heart rate data, fetal tachycardia preceded maternal fever in 39 cases (18%) and in 16 controls (8%) (OR 2.6, P = 0.003). Tachycardia before maternal fever was not associated with increased neonatal infectious morbidity.


CONCLUSIONS
Maternal fever during term labour was associated with perinatal infection, but not with acidaemia at birth. Elevated fetal heart rate preceded maternal fever in a minority of cases and was not associated with perinatal infection.
Herbst
A
A
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital, University of Lund, Sweden.
Wölner-Hanssen
P
P
Ingemarsson
I
I
D000138:Acidosis / Q000209:etiology*; D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications*; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000209:etiology*