Incidence of intrapartum maternal risk factors for identifying neonates at risk for early-onset group B streptococcal sepsis: A prospective study, , ,

Objective: In mid-1996 and early 1997, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Pediatrics all published guidelines outlining 2 potential strategies for the purpose of preventing neonatal sepsis caused by group B Streptococcus . One of these approaches involves treating pregnant women intrapartum with antibiotics if any of the following risk factors develop: delivery at <37 weeks’ gestation, membrane rupture for ≥18 hours’ duration, or temperature during labor of ≥38°C. However, to date there have been no population-based studies that have ascertained the percentage of pregnant women eligible to receive intrapartum antibiotic chemoprophylaxis if these risk factors were used. Our objective was to perform a large patient-based study at >1 institution evaluating all deliveries for the presence of maternal risk factors by using the definitions of the current guidelines. Study Design: A prospective cohort study was initiated in 1995 at 3 private community hospitals and 1 private referral center. The study population was composed of 5410 consecutively delivered patients from the 4 different hospitals. Every pregnancy was analyzed for gestational age at delivery, duration of membrane rupture, temperature during labor, and use of intrapartum antibiotic chemoprophylaxis. Results: Of the 5410 patients, a total of 455 (8.4%) were delivered of their neonates before 37 weeks’ gestation, 421 (7.8%) had rupture of membranes for at least 18 hours’ duration, and 378 (7.0%) had an intrapartum temperature of ≥38°C. Overall, 1071 pregnant women (19.8% of the population studied) had ≥1 of the defined risk factors. Conclusions: These data suggest that, if the current risk factor strategy is used, 19.8% of the delivering population would potentially be candidates for intrapartum antibiotic chemoprophylaxis. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;181:1197-202.)