Open AccessAvoiding Prematurity in Elective Repeat Cesarean Section
Author(s) -
Gross Thomas L.,
Sokol Robert J.,
Kwong Melinda S.,
Wilson Margaret V.,
Kuhnert Paul M.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016348409154663
Subject(s) - medicine , hyaline , neonatal intensive care unit , antepartum hemorrhage , anesthesia , amniotic fluid , prospective cohort study , tachypnea , obstetrics , gestation , pregnancy , surgery , pediatrics , fetus , pathology , biology , genetics , tachycardia
. A prospective study was undertaken in 107 elective repeat cesarean deliveries in which the lecithin/sphingo‐myelin (L/S) ratio was positive. The frequency of neonatal complications in 87 of these women having positive amniotic fluid (AF) phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was compared with the frequency in the remaining 20 patients exhibiting a negative PG. Hyaline membrane disease (HMD) did not occur in either group. However, neonatal complications and related clinical procedures were significantly increased in the PG‐negative patients. These neonatal complications included increased frequency of admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit, physiologic jaundice, poor feeding, transient tachypnea, prolonged oxygen therapy, arterial blood gas determinations, chest X‐ray and placement of a peripheral intravenous line. The cause of this increased frequency in neonatal complications appears to be mild prematurity in patients exhibiting a positive AF L/S with a negative PG. This study suggests that, in hospitals where PG determinations are available, neonatal complications could be reduced further by awaiting the AF PG result before electively performing a repeat cesarean section.