Foley Balloon Catheter versus Oral Misoprostol for Induction of Labour after Prelabour Rupture of Membranes: A Retrospective Data Analysis

Objectives: The Foley balloon catheter (FC) is a viable method for cervical ripening, but concerns about infection risk restrict its use in cases of prolonged prelabour rupture of membranes (PROM). This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the FC compared to oral misoprostol for cervical ripening after PROM. Study Design: A retrospective data-analysis of 128 pregnant women was conducted. Of these, 49 underwent cervical ripening with an FC and 79 with oral misoprostol. We included all women with a vital singleton pregnancy at 37 - 42 weeks of gestation who underwent cervical ripening after ≥ 24 hours of PROM in specific time frames in two Dutchsecondary care and teaching hospitals. The primary outcome was the incidence of intrapartum infection, a composite of maternal and neonatal infection. In addition, we evaluated the mode of delivery, duration of priming and priming-to-delivery interval. Secondary endpoints included uterine hyperstimulation, umbilical cord prolapse, birth weight, Apgar scores, length of admission to the neonatal low dependency unit, admission to the (neonatal) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and mortality. Statistical analyses included bivariate and multivariate techniques. Results: Cervical ripening with FC, compared with oral misoprostol, showed a higher incidence of intrapartum infection, respectively 32.7% (n = 16) vs. 12.7% (n = 10) (p = 0.006). However, after adjusting for epidural anaesthesia and pregestational BMI, the association was no longer significant. No difference was found in mode of delivery and total priming-to-delivery interval (median 21.3 hours vs. 22.0, p = 0.897). Furthermore, FC, compared with oral misoprostol, showed a longer duration of cervical ripening and hence a shorter duration of active labour (p 0.001). Apart from the 1-min Apgar score, secondary maternal and neonatal outcomes did not differ between the groups. Conclusion: In women who require cervical ripening after prolonged PROM at term, the FC and oral misoprostol are similar in terms of efficacy and safety. Advantages associated with the FC are its safe application in women with a history of caesarean section, although we did not study these women, and an implied shorter duration of active labour. Our study adds to the limited available data on the use of the FC after the rupture of membranes and a large randomized controlled trial is needed to strengthen our findings.

Does magnesium sulfate increase the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage? A systematic review

The incidence of Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) is increasing in the western world. We hypothesize that magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) could be a contributing factor. MgSO4 might increase the incidence of PPH by induction of vasodilation, tocolytic effects, and effects on the blood like red cell deformity, platelet activity inhibition and a prolonged bleeding time. Based on these effects of MgSO4 a correlation with PPH is suspected. MgSO4 is widely used in the prevention of eclampsia. However, the working mechanism of this effective drug is largely unknown. We performed a systematic search to find all Randomized Controlled trials (RCTs) containing MgSO4 in preeclamsia as well as all MgSO4 studies with information on PPH. Titles, abstracts and references of publications were evaluated for appropriateness and whether they met the inclusion criteria. RCTs about MgSO4 with original data on PPH prevalence were included in our systematic review. We calculated the relative risk of PPH in every study as well as an overall relative risk. Four relevant and valid RCTs were found, totalling 11,621 relevant patients. The relative risk of PPH in women treated with MgSO4 is 0.964 (95% CI 0.886 - 1.050) In this systematic review we found no significant increase in PPH in women treated with MgSO4. However, there is still room for discussion due to the heterogeneity in methods (dosage and duration of treatment), results, and tertiary outcomes, as well as the small number of studies found with respect to this important issue.

The influence of prolapse surgery on sexual activity of women

Aims: A prospective study to assess sexual activity in patients with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and evaluate changes in sexual functioning after surgery. Secondary outcomes were quality of life and anatomical results. Methods: Patients completed the validated Leiden Questionnaire (LQ) and the short form 36 (SF-36) pre- and two months postoperatively. SPSS 19.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: 74 patients (average age 61.5 years) were approached, of whom 33.8% were sexually inactive due to other reasons than POP. 23 patients (average age 56.7 years) were included for further analysis. Postoperatively we found a significant improvement for orgasm during intercourse. The remaining domains didn’t change significantly. A trend is noted, indicating that sexual activity stayed unchanged in 82.6% of patients. Dyspareunia improved in 47.8% of patients, lubrication in 34.8% and sexual satisfaction in 40%. Quality of life improved in 73.9%. We found a significant improvement in POP grading. Conclusion: More than a third of the patients presenting with POP are not sexually active due to other reasons than POP. POP surgery appears to improve lubrication, dyspareunia, sexual satisfaction and orgasm during intercourse in a considerable part of patients. Furthermore, there’s no negative influence on sexual activity. POP surgery improves quality of life in the majority of patients.

Prophylactic Antibiotic Treatment during Hysteroscopy: A Systematic Review

Background: Overall, the use of antibiotics is increasing. We noticed different practices amongst different hospitals in their prophylactic use of antibiotics during operative hysteroscopy. This review investigates whether there is sufficient evidence to recommend antibiotic prophylaxis in operative hysteroscopy. Methods: We performed a systematic search in “Pubmed” using “hysteroscopy” and “antibiotic” and “prophylaxis” as search items. We found 16 hits of which 4 were suitable to include in our review. Findings: In an included Cochrane review no conclusion was drawn since no articles could be included. A prospective study by Nappi?et al.?[1]?support the recommendation of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists not to prescribe routinely antibiotic prophylaxis in cases of hysteroscopic surgery. Bhattacharya?et al. conducted a prospective study that was ended prematurely. They conclude that there is no convincing evidence that prophylactic antibiotics are of value in hysteroscopy. A review by Morrill?et al. yielded no new data. Conclusion: We did not find a significant increase in clinical relevant infectious symptoms after hysteroscopy in women treated with or without antibiotic prophylaxis, although data are insufficient to draw a definite conclusion. Therefore, we suggest a prospective study is mandatory on this topic.