Uterine tachysystole: a survey of CAOG members suggests persistent ambiguity

Uterine tachysystole (TS) has been defined by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) as "more than five contractions in 10 minutes, averaged over a 30-minute window". The objective of this study was to survey all active members of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (CAOG) in order to assess the obscurity behind the definition of TS as well as the management.

The survey listed 16 questions consisting of demographics, definitions of TS, management of five hypothetical clinical cases (HCC), their personal experience, and adverse outcomes. This survey was delivered to all active members of CAOG. A priori, we considered the terminology and management to be consistent if at least 75% of the respondents were concordant in their answers.

There was no consistency in the answers that pertained to the definition of tachysystole nor to the questions regarding the next step in management in the hypothetical clinical cases. When the MFM and generalists answers were analyzed, there were no statistically significant differences in their individual answers.

This is the first survey publication on uterine tachysystole and is notable for inconsistency in the definition, frequency with which it is encountered and hypothetical management of TS. The divergent response suggests that ambiguity regarding tachysystole persists, despite ACOG attempts to rectify it.