Related Experiment Videos
Antibiotics for preterm premature rupture of membranes
1ORACLE Clinical Co-ordinating Centre, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Department of Obstetrics, Clinical Sciences Building, PO Box 65, Leicester, UK, LE2 7ZR. oracle@le.ac.uk
Insights
Antibiotics after preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (pPROM) prolong pregnancy and reduce maternal/neonatal infections. However, current evidence does not support their use for improving neonatal outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Neonatal Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (pPROM) is a significant obstetric complication.
- The use of antibiotics in pPROM is a common clinical practice aimed at preventing infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of antibiotic administration in women with pPROM.
- To assess impacts on maternal infectious morbidity, fetal/neonatal outcomes, and long-term childhood development.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of all identified randomized controlled trials.
- Inclusion of trials reporting clinically relevant outcomes.
- Data extraction without blinding; unpublished data sought.
Main Results:
- Antibiotic treatment prolongs pregnancy and reduces maternal and neonatal infectious morbidity.
- No statistically proven benefit for improving neonatal mortality or morbidity in the short or long term.
Conclusions:
- Insufficient data exist to recommend routine antibiotic prescription for pPROM.
- Continued research is warranted in this clinical area.
Objectives:
The aim of the review was to evaluate the effectiveness and the immediate and long-term safety of the effects of administering antibiotics to women with preterm prelabour rupture of membranes on maternal infectious morbidity, fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, and longer term childhood development.
Search Strategy:
All randomized trials identified using the search strategy described by the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group.
Selection Criteria:
All trials which reported clinically relevant outcomes (as opposed to laboratory data) were included.
Data Collection And Analysis:
Data were extracted from each report without any blinding of either the results or the treatments which women received. Unpublished data were sought from a number of authors.
Main Results:
Antibiotic treatment following pPROM is effective at prolonging pregnancy and reducing maternal and neonatal infectious morbidity. There is no statisically proven benefit that their use improves neonatal mortality and morbidity in the short or long term.
Reviewer'S Conclusions:
There are insufficient data to recommend routine prescription of antibiotics in this clinical situation. Research into this area should continue.