Mia Kibel

Outcomes of Pregnancies Complicated by Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes Between 20 and 24 Weeks of Gestation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the natural history and contemporary outcomes in pregnancies complicated by previable preterm premature rupture of membranes (PROM). METHODS: Retrospective study of all women with a singleton or twin pregnancy admitted to a single tertiary referral center who experienced preterm PROM between 20 and 23 6/7 weeks of gestation during 2004–2014 and underwent expectant management. Women electing termination of pregnancy and pregnancies complicated by major fetal anomalies were excluded. Severe neonatal morbidity was defined as a composite of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, severe neurologic injury, or severe retinopathy of prematurity. Long-term follow-up to a corrected age of 18–21 months was available for the majority of surviving neonates. RESULTS: Of the 140 neonates born to women with previable preterm PROM during the study period, 104 were eligible for the study. Overall 51 (49.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 39.4–58.6%) newborns survived to discharge, of whom 24 (47.1%, 95% CI 33.4–60.8%) experienced severe neonatal morbidity. The overall rate of long-term morbidity among surviving neonates was 23.3% (95% CI 11.7–34.9%) and was significantly higher among neonates who previously experienced severe neonatal morbidity compared with those who did not (39.1% compared with 10.0%, P=.04). The only two factors that were significantly associated with overall survival and survival without severe neonatal morbidity were gestational age at preterm PROM of 22 weeks or greater (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 12.2, 95% CI 3.3–44.8 and adjusted OR 4.8, 95% CI 1.2–19.3, respectively) and a latency period of greater than 7 days (adjusted OR 10.1, 95% CI 3.2–31.6, and adjusted OR 6.7, 95% CI 2.2–21.0, respectively). Expectant management was associated with maternal risks including placental abruption (17.3%, 95% CI 10.0–24.6%) and sepsis (4.8%, 95% CI 0.7–8.9%). CONCLUSION: Expectant management in pregnancies complicated by previable preterm PROM between 20 and 23 6/7 weeks of gestation is associated with an overall neonatal survival rate of 49.0%, high risk of short- and long-term severe morbidity among survivors, and carries considerable maternal risks.

Neonatal Outcomes of Low-Risk, Late-Preterm Twins Compared With Late-Preterm Singletons

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that the risk of neonatal morbidity among late-preterm twins is similar to that of late-preterm singletons. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all women with twin or singleton pregnancy who gave birth during the late-preterm period in a single tertiary center between 2008 and 2015. Neonatal outcomes of low-risk, late-preterm twins were compared with those of low-risk, late-preterm singletons. The primary outcome was the same primary composite respiratory morbidity variable that was used in the randomized controlled trial of Gyamfi-Bannerman et al on the administration of antenatal corticosteroids during the late-preterm period. RESULTS A total of 922 singleton and 721 twin late-preterm neonates met the inclusion criteria. The rates of composite respiratory morbidity and severe composite respiratory morbidity were similar for twins and singletons (8.3% compared with 7.4%, P=.5 and 6.8% compared with 6.0%, P=.5, respectively), but were lower than the rates of the same composite respiratory morbidity variable in the randomized controlled study described previously. The odds for respiratory morbidity were similar for twins and singletons for both composite respiratory morbidity (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% CI 0.48-1.12) and severe composite respiratory morbidity (adjusted OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.50-1.24). CONCLUSION The risk of respiratory morbidity among late-preterm twins is similar to that of late-preterm singletons. Still, the low absolute rates of the composite respiratory morbidity in our population suggest that administration of antenatal corticosteroids may be mostly justified among neonates born closer to 34 weeks of gestation.

The natural history of preterm premature rupture of membranes in twin pregnancies.

Abstract Objective: To compare the characteristics of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) between twin and singleton pregnancies. Methods: This was a retrospective study of all women with twin and singleton pregnancies admitted with PPROM between 24–34 weeks of gestation. Results: Overall 698 women with PPROM were eligible for the study: 101 (14.5%) twins and 597 (85.5%) singletons. Twins presented with PPROM at a more advanced gestational age compared with singletons (29.1 ± 2.7 vs. 28.5 ± 2.8 weeks, p = 0.03). The latency period was shorter in twins compared with singletons, especially for women presenting after 28 weeks of gestation (5.0 ± 0.8 vs. 7.0 ± 0.4 days, p = 0.01). Women with twins were more likely to deliver within 48 h (OR: 2.7; 95%CI: 1.7–4.2) and were less likely to deliver within 2–7 days (OR:  0.5; 95%CI: 0.3–0.9) following PPROM. The rate of clinical chorioamnionitis or placental abruption following PPROM was lower in twins compared with singletons (15.8% vs. 26.0%, p = 0.03). Conclusions: PPROM in twin pregnancies tends to occur at a more advanced gestational age, is associated with a shorter latency period and is less likely to be complicated by chorioamnionitis or placental abruption compared with singletons. This information may be useful for counseling and management decisions in cases of PPROM in women with twins.