Delivery of patients with early onset, severe pre-eclampsia

Objectives: To compare the effects of induction/labor to delivery before la bor in early onset, severe pre-eclampsia. Methods: Five-year prospective ca se series. Delivery course and neonatal outcome were examined for 335 women with viable singletons. Results: Induction was successful in 45% of attemp ts. Women exposed to labor had longer (5.5 days, P < 0.0001) admissions to delivery periods and were more often delivered for maternal indications (RR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.98-4.16). Their babies were born 1.6 weeks older (P < 0 .0001) and 352 g heavier (P < 0.0001) than those delivered before labor. Ba bies exposed to labor needed intensive care less often (RR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.27-0.58), had lower rates of severe hyaline membrane disease (RR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.11-0.59) and sepsis (RR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.33-0.93), and were di scharged earlier (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Exposure to induction/labor in selected patients is not detrimental to neonatal outcome in early, severe p re-eclampsia. (C) 2001 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetric s. All rights reserved.