Expanded-spectrum antibiotics with preterm premature rupture of membranes

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Abstract

Objective: To compare maternal infection rates, neonatal sepsis rates, and bacterial resistance patterns in cases of neonatal sepsis for three antibiotic protocols for women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PROM).

Methods: From January 1, 1988 to February 28, 1998, women with preterm PROM not requiring immediate delivery were treated according to one of three antibiotic protocols. During three distinct periods, patients received no antibiotics, intravenous ampicillin for 48 hours followed by oral amoxicillin, or intravenous ticarcillin-clavulanic acid for 48 hours followed by oral amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Rates of chorioamnionitis, endometritis, and neonatal sepsis were compared, as were antimicrobial resistance patterns. Statistical analysis was done using χ2 analysis, Fisher exact test, and the log-likelihood ratio test. The Bonferroni correction was used for multiple comparisons.

Results: During the three periods, preterm PROM was diagnosed in 1695 women. The incidence of endometritis was lower during the third (5.3%) compared with the first (15.1%, P < .001) and second (11.6%, P < .001) protocols. Chorioamnionitis rates were 13.6%, 12.7%, and 15.6% (P = .34) for the first, second, and third periods, respectively, and neonatal sepsis rates were 2.2%, 0.6%, and 1.1% (P = .08), respectively. Neonatal sepsis with gram-negative (P = .02) and ampicillin-resistant (P = .04) organisms was more likely when mothers received antepartum ampicillin or ticarcillin-clavulanic acid.

Conclusion: Antibiotic therapy for patients with preterm PROM was associated with a decrease in the rate of endometritis and a trend toward less neonatal sepsis but an increase in the proportion of gram-negative and ampicillin-resistant organisms causing neonatal sepsis.

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Materials and methods

Infants at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida with positive blood cultures within the first 7 days of life from January 1, 1988 to February 28, 1998, were identified from the microbiology laboratory database. The medical records of these neonates were reviewed to identify those who had been born to mothers with preterm PROM who were treated expectantly. The charts of the mothers also were reviewed. In addition, our computerized obstetrics database was used to obtain demographic and

Results

During the study period, 1695 women with preterm PROM were treated at our institution. There were 465 cases during the first period, 510 received ampicillin during the second period, and 720 received ticarcillin-clavulanic acid during the third period. Demographic data are presented in Table 1. The gestational age given is the gestational age at delivery. The latency period, ie, the time from PROM to delivery, is not included in our database and is not available for this group of patients.

Discussion

The results of this study show a significantly lower rate of postpartum endometritis with antibiotic therapy for women with expectantly treated preterm PROM and a further reduction in this rate when a broader-spectrum agent was used. This result is not surprising given the polymicrobial nature of endometritis. What is surprising is that the rate of chorioamnionitis during the study period was decreased by antibiotic therapy only in the parous subgroup of patients, because both postpartum

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