The management of patients with premature rupture of membranes (PROM) poses one of the most serious dilemmas in obstetrics since PROM significantly increases the likelihood of prematurity and serious perinatal infection. Early infection is not reliably predicted nor detected by standard laboratory parameters. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were assayed along with white blood cell count, differential, and temperature course in patients with PROM and controls. Elevated CRP very accurately divided patients with evidence of infectious morbidity from those without such evidence (p < 0.001). In 109 patients there were 11 false negatives and no false positives. In 14 of 20 patients followed with serial comparisons who developed morbidity, CRP became elevated at least 12 hours prior to any other parameter measured. Changes in the other six patients were concurrent. The results suggest that CRP may be a reliable, early predictor of infectious morbidity and thus may be of benefit in the selective management of patients with PROM.
C-reactive protein premature rupture of membranes infection prediction, CRP as early predictor infectious morbidity PROM, premature rupture membranes laboratory markers infection, serum CRP white blood cell count PROM management, early detection chorioamnionitis premature rupture membranes, serial CRP monitoring preterm premature rupture membranes, PROM management infectious morbidity obstetrics, inflammatory markers predict perinatal infection PROM, Evans Hajj CRP premature rupture membranes 1980, selective management PROM based on CRP levels
PMID 7435528 7435528 DOI 10.1016/0002-9378(80)90082-4 10.1016/0002-9378(80)90082-4
Cite this article
Evans, M. I., Hajj, S. N., Devoe, L. D., Angerman, N. S., & Moawad, A. H. (1980). C-reactive protein as a predictor of infectious morbidity with premature rupture of membranes. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 138(6), 648-652. https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9378(80)90082-4
Evans MI, Hajj SN, Devoe LD, Angerman NS, Moawad AH. C-reactive protein as a predictor of infectious morbidity with premature rupture of membranes. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1980;138(6):648-652. doi:10.1016/0002-9378(80)90082-4
Evans, M. I., et al. "C-reactive protein as a predictor of infectious morbidity with premature rupture of membranes." American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, vol. 138, no. 6, 1980, pp. 648-652.
A group of 52 patients with premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) before 34 weeks' gestation were evaluated prospectively and managed expectantly. Of 42 patients who were delivered of their infants, 26 (61.9%) had significant chorioamnionitis on histopathology, and 18 had positive microbial cultures at delivery. However, only seven patients (16.7%) developed clinical signs of chorioamnionitis. There were no maternal deaths or perinatal deaths attributable to sepsis. Only two infants (less than 5%) had positive blood cultures. All patients were assessed daily for the development of chorioamnionitis. Amniocenteses were not routinely performed. White blood cell counts, band neutrophil counts, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate determinations were found to be unreliable. C-reactive protein determinations were found most reliable with a high sensitivity and specificity. Elevated C-reactive protein levels correlated better with pathologic confirmation of chorioamnionitis than with the clinical febrile morbidity. Clinical implications for the management of PROM are discussed.
PregnancyPremature Rupture of MembranesChorioamnionitis PreventionAmnioinfusion
To determine the best method of preventing ascending infection in the management of premature rupture of membranes, antibiotics such as latamoxef sodium, cefoperazone sodium, and cefotaxime sodium were infused directly into the amniotic cavity in 64 patients undergoing induction of labor at term. A single infusion of 100 or 500 mg of each drug resulted in a concentration of 200 to 1000 micrograms/ml immediately after infusion, and the concentration remained above 10 micrograms/ml for about 24 hours without significant increase in fetal or maternal blood levels. Consequently, a daily single dose of 100 mg or more is probably effective prophylaxis in cases of premature rupture of membranes. When intrauterine infection is suspected, the dose can be increased to 500 mg or more, and transplacental administration may be added to achieve a higher concentration in fetal blood. The present study simulates well premature rupture of membranes, and an amnioinfusion of antibiotics will be reliable and effective in managing premature rupture of membranes.
PregnancyPremature Rupture of MembranesInflammatory BiomarkersC-Reactive Protein in Pregnancy
The value of maternal C-reactive protein (CRP) levels as predictors of fetal and maternal infective morbidity and fetal mortality was assessed prospectively over a 6-month period in all cases of premature rupture of the fetal membranes or suspected premature labour. Statistical analysis of results showed that CRP at a level of 1.32 mg/dl is a sensitive marker of infective morbidity in mother and neonate. Furthermore, there was a significant association between raised CRP levels and low-birth-weight babies, suggesting that intra-uterine infection is a major cause of prematurity in the study population.
Prospective studies have shown that C-reactive protein (CRP) can be used to predict risk of future cardiovascular events. High-sensitivity methods for CRP (hs-CRP) measurement are needed for this purpose. We compared the clinical efficacy of an automated and commercially available latex-enhanced assay (Latex) for hs-CRP (Dade Behring) to a validated in-house ELISA, previously shown to predict future peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in asymptomatic populations. Using a prospective, nested, case-control design, we measured baseline hs-CRP concentrations in 144 apparently healthy men who subsequently developed symptomatic PAD and 144 age- and smoking habit-matched controls who remained free of vascular disease over the follow-up period of 60 months. The two hs-CRP assays correlated highly (r = 0.95; P <0.001), and all but two participants were classified into concordant quartiles or varied by only one quartile. The median hs-CRP of the case group was significantly higher than that of controls when measured by either the ELISA (1.34 vs 0.99 mg/L; P = 0.034) or the Latex method (1.80 vs 1.20 mg/L; P = 0.042). Furthermore, for both ELISA and the Latex method, the calculated relative risks of developing PAD increased significantly with each increasing quartile of hs-CRP. The calculated interquartile increase in relative risk of PAD was 31% (95% confidence interval, 5.2-62.2%; P = 0.01) for ELISA and 34% (95% confidence interval, 8.2-66.1%; P = 0.007) for the Latex method. Our findings indicate that the Latex method is equally as efficacious as the validated ELISA in classifying patients into cutoff points established by prospective studies for risk stratification for coronary and cerebrovascular disease.