Prelabour rupture of the membranes at term: antibiotic overuse in Italy

The proper management of women with premature rupture of membrane (PROM) and not spontaneously entering in labour remains controversial. The aim of this study was to identify the current management for women with PROM at term according to the Group B Streptococcus (GBS) status across different Italian hospitals.

Anonymous online survey evaluating: the current practice of women with PROM in terms of management (expectant management vs. induction of labour) and antibiotic prophylaxis according to GBS status.

In case of negative GBS status, the 82.4% of respondents wait until 24 hours before labour induction. Antibiotics are administered for prophylaxis in 35.3%, 27.5% and 2% at 18, 12 and 24 hours respectively. The remaining 35.3% of respondents are divided between those using antibiotics only with signs of infections or according to different risk factors (i.e. meconium-stained amniotic fluid or suspected infection). Neonates born from a mother with negative GBS status almost never (90.2%) receive prophylactic antibiotics. In case of positive GBS status, induction is started as soon as possible by 49.1% of respondents; the remnants choose to wait 6 (15.7%), 12 (17.6%), 18 (3.9%) and 24 (13.7%) hours. Antibiotics are administered as soon as possible by 78.4% of clinicians. In the neonates, 51% of neonatologist administer antibiotics upon clinical indications (suspected sepsis); 15.7% use antibiotics routinely or with a short interval between maternal antibiotics and delivery (17.6%).

The management after PROM is highly heterogeneous with an inappropriate extension of antibiotic prophylaxis in cases with negative GBS status.