Usefulness of Two Clinical Chorioamnionitis Definitions in Predicting Neonatal Infectious Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Objective To assess the usefulness of two definitions of acute clinical chorioamnionitis (ACCA) in predicting risk of neonatal infectious outcomes (NIO) and mortality, the first definition requiring maternal fever alone (Fever), and the second requiring ≥ 1 Gibbs criterion besides fever (Fever + 1). Study Design PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from January 1, 1979 to April 9, 2013. Twelve studies were reviewed (of 316 articles identified): three studies with term patients, four with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) patients, and five mixed studies with mixed gestational ages and/or membrane status (intact and/or ruptured). Results Both definitions demonstrated an increased NIO risk for ACCA versus non-ACCA patients, with an odds ratio increase for the Fever + 1 definition that was about twofold larger than the Fever definition. Conclusion As the Fever definition demonstrated increased NIO risk for ACCA versus non-ACCA patients, the Fever alone ACCA definition should be used to trigger future clinical treatment in many clinical situations.