Tachysystole Following Cervical Ripening and Induction of Labor Is Not Associated with Adverse Outcomes

This study was aimed at determining if significant uterine tachysystole was associated with adverse fetal or neonatal outcomes during cervical ripening and induction of labor.

Women undergoing cervical ripening and subsequent labor induction (n = 905) were assessed for tachysystole, defined as ≥6 contractions in each of 2 consecutive 10-minute windows. Women with ≥3 episodes of tachysystole were compared to women with no tachysystole.

Over a 5-year period, 70% of the 905 participants (n = 631) had no tachysystole, 143 had 1 or 2 episodes whereas 131 or 15% had ≥3 episodes (p = 0.991). The cesarean delivery rate was lower among those with tachysystole (28.2 vs. 34.1%), but the difference was not significant (p = 0.197). Non-reassuring fetal tracings were more common in the tachysystole group (14.4 vs. 21.4%, p = 0.017), but the Apgar scores at 5 min and the umbilical cord pH and base excess were similar between the 2 groups (p = 0.502, p = 0.435, and p = 0.535, respectively).

Tachysystole was not associated with adverse perinatal outcomes when compared to women with no tachysystole during cervical ripening and induction of labor.