Analysis of gastric fluid in preterm newborns supports the view that the amniotic cavity is sterile before the onset of parturition: a retrospective cohort study
Kyong-No Lee, Hyun Ji Choi, Ha Lim Shin, Hyeon Ji Kim, Jee Yoon Park, Young Hwa Jung, Kyung Joon Oh, Chang Won Choi- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
Abstract
Objectives
To compare the frequency of Ureaplasma-positive gastric fluid (GF) cultures based on the cause and mode of delivery in preterm newborns.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study included women with a singleton pregnancy who delivered prematurely (between 23+0 and 32+0 weeks of gestation, n=464) at a single university hospital in South Korea. The newborns’ GF was obtained on the day of birth via nasogastric intubation. The frequency of Ureaplasma spp. in GF cultures was measured and compared according to the cause and mode of delivery.
Results
Ureaplasma spp. was detected in 20.3 % of the GF samples. The presence of Ureaplasma spp. was significantly higher in the spontaneous preterm birth group than in the indicated preterm birth group (30.2 vs. 3.0 %; p<0.001). Additionally, Ureaplasma spp. was more frequently found in the vaginal delivery group than in the cesarean delivery group, irrespective of the cause of preterm delivery [indicated preterm birth group (22.2 vs. 1.9 %, p=0.023); spontaneous preterm birth group (37.7 vs. 24.2 %, p=0.015)].
Conclusions
Ureaplasma spp. were found in 20.3 % of the GFs. However, only 1.9 % of newborns in the indicated preterm birth group with cesarean delivery had a Ureaplasma-positive GF culture.