Expectant Management of Preterm Ruptured Membranes before 34 Gestational Weeks at the University Hospital of Kinshasa, a Tertiary Referral Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Premature Rupture of Membranes (PROM) with the resulting prematurity remains a major public health issue in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This study aimed to assess expectant management of PPROM before 34 weeks at the university hospital of Kinshasa. We conducted a retrospective analysis of expectantly managed PROM before 34 weeks between January 2008 and December 2018. Maternal and fetal outcomes were collected, and all data were analyzed using the SPSS 23.0 software. Of the 113 patients included in the study, 2.6% were diagnosed with PROM before 34 weeks. We observed prolongation of the pregnancy duration;the median latency period was eight days, and the average gestational age at delivery of 32.85 ± 2.5 weeks. Chorioamnionitis (23%), severe oligoamnios (7%), and acute fetal distress (4%) were complications observed during the latency period. In the postpartum period, endometritis (6.2%), neonatal jaundice (39.8%), anemia (25.7%), ulcerative necrotizing enterocolitis (6.2%), cerebromeningeal hemorrhage (5.3%), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (4.4%) were complications observed. The risk of infection during the latency period was significantly associated with irregular (P = 0.045) or lack (P = 0.006) antenatal care (ANC) attendances and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) results 6 (P = 0.013). The risk of neonatal death was significantly associated to infection during the latency period (P = 0.011), irregular (P = 0.009) or lack of ANC (P = 0.000) attendances, Birth weight g (P = 0.039) as well as Gestational age at birth between 28 to 30 Weeks (S) (P = 0.021). These findings report first-time pregnancy outcomes related to the management of PPROM before 34 weeks in our setting. We found that the conservative attitude adopted allowed the prolongation of pregnancies, reducing the risks associated with prematurity. Nevertheless, attendance in good quality ANC could reduce the frequency of PROM and related adverse outcomes.

Cervical Pregnancy in a Primigravida Patient without Risk Factors: A Case Report

Cervical pregnancy is defined as the implantation of the egg below of the internal cervical orifice, and remains a rare clinical entity which affects on average 1 out of 20,000 pregnancies worldwide. Its hemorrhagic complications are life-threatening in case of late diagnosis. It occurs mainly on a history of curettage or caesarian which are the most recognized risk factors. The objective pursued here is to discuss the possibility of the occurrence of this rare clinical entity in a primigravida without risk factors and the different therapeutic possibilities according to the technical platforms. Authors report a case of cervical pregnancy at 6 weeks’ gestation occurring in a primigravida without risk factors who consulted at University clinics of Kinshasa (UCK) for a genital hemorrhage chart. The diagnosis was made using ultrasound and treatment provided by curettage followed by the placement of an intra-cervical foley tube for hemostatic purposes. Given its high mortality, the diagnosis must be early even in pregnant women without obvious risk factors. The diversity of therapeutic means gives practitioners a choice depending on the technical platform.