INTRAPARTUM HEPATITIS-B SCREENING

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence o f acute hepatitis B in intrapartum patients and to describe the birth- to-administration interval of the hepatitis B vaccine and immune globu lin in hepatitis B surface antigen-positive patients detected by intra partum screening. STUDY DESIGN: Hepatitis B screening was performed on 8712 laboring patients admitted to Forsyth Memorial Hospital in Winst on-Salem, North Carolina, between July 1, 1992, and Jan. 31, 1994. RES ULTS: Fourteen laboring patients had positive results for hepatitis B surface antigen (prevalence 0.16%), and two of the 14 had a profile co nsistent with acute disease. The average interval from birth to admini stration of the hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B virus vacc ine was 18.6 hours (range 3.9 to 31.0 hours) for hepatitis B virus-inf ected patients whose hepatitis B surface antigen status was unknown be fore labor. CONCLUSION: Intrapartum screening allows for diagnosis of the asymptomatic patient with acute hepatitis B virus infection whose hepatitis B surface antigen status was unknown before labor who would not have received hepatitis B immune globulin had only early prenatal screening been performed.