Premature rupture of membrane at term: Early induction versus expectant management

Introduction Premature rupture of membrane is managed either expectantly or actively. The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of early labor induction with cervical prostaglandin E2 versus expectant management in women with term premature rupture of membrane. Material and Methods Singleton pregnancy cases with cephalic presentation reported between 37 and 41 weeks of pregnancy with PROM of \6 h and cervical dilatation \3 cm were studied over a period of 2 years. Out of 100 patients studied, half of them were managed by expectant protocol and the other half by early induction within 6 h of PROM with intracervical gel. Main outcomes measured were PROM-delivery interval, mode of delivery, neonatal and maternal morbidity, and period of maternal and/or neonatal hospitalization. Chi-square test was used to compare frequencies between two groups. Differences between means of other measurement were compared by independent t test. Results PROM-delivery interval was 22 h in expectant group, while in early induction group, it was 13 h (p value\0.001). Rate of cesarean section remained almost same in both groups. Increases in maternal-neonatal infection rate and hospital stay were noted in expectant group; however, this was not statistically significant. Conclusion Immediate labor induction with prostaglandin in cases of term PROM shortens delivery interval and maternal hospital stay with reduction in maternal-neonatal sepsis.