Short-course antibiotic therapy for the treatment of chorioamnionitis and postpartum endomyometritis

Abstract

The development of chorioamnionitis and endomyometritis has traditionally required treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and extended hospitalization. In the past, once parenteral antibiotic therapy was instituted, it was continued for 5 to 7 days and until the patient remained afebrile for 48 hours. To shorten the length of hospital stay, the length of parenteral antibiotic administration was reduced and an oral antibiotic was added, to complete a 7- to 10-day course of therapy. We evaluated the effectiveness of an even shorter course of parenteral antibiotics without the addition of oral antibiotics. Forty-two patients with chorioamnionitis and 64 with endomyometritis were enrolled in the study. Antibiotic therapy was continued until the patient's temperature was less than 99.5 degrees F for 12 to 24 hours. Of the 106 patients, only two were readmitted, both as a result of superficial wound separation. No patient had an infectious complication. A shorter course of parenteral antibiotics without the addition of an oral antibiotic gives results comparable to the standard extended treatment regimens, but is advantageous with respect to cost, patient compliance, and hospital stay.