Objective: To evaluate, in patients with a prior history of cesarean delivery undergoing cervical ripening with a double balloon catheter, whether removal of device after six hours versus twelve hours would result in shorter time to delivery. Methods: A before-and-after study was performed after a practice change occurred November 2020, at which time the standard duration of double cervical balloon catheter placement during induction was changed from twelve hours to six hours. Data was collected via retrospective electronic chart review. Inclusion criteria included singleton pregnancy, history of prior cesarean delivery, fetus in cephalic presentation upon admission, and cervical ripening accomplished with a double balloon catheter. Patients with multiple gestation pregnancy, those with more than one balloon catheter placed during labor, and those being induced for fetal demise were excluded from this study. Primary outcome was time from balloon placement to delivery. Secondary outcomes included rates of cesarean delivery and rates of maternal intraamniotic infection. Uterine rupture was a safety outcome. Kaplan-Meier curves compared median times to delivery between the groups. A Cox proportional-hazards model was used to adjust for time of balloon placement, number of previous vaginal deliveries, and co-medications used. Results: From November 2018 to November 2022, 210 patients with a prior history of cesarean delivery received a double balloon catheter for cervical ripening during their trial of labor. After chart review, 189 patients were found to be eligible. The patients were separated into pre- and post-policy change groups (n=91 and 98, respectively). The median time to vaginal delivery for the pre-group was 28 hours (95% CI: 26, 35) and 25 hours (95% CI: 23, 29) for those in the post-group (p-value 0.052). After adjusting for dilation at time of balloon placement, number of previous vaginal deliveries, and co-medication, the estimated hazard ratio for successful vaginal delivery post-policy change was 1.89 (95% CI: 1.27, 2.81). There were no differences in rates of secondary outcomes. Conclusion: In patients with prior cesarean delivery undergoing mechanical cervical ripening with a double balloon catheter, planned removal at 6 hours compared to 12 hours may result in shorter time to delivery without increasing rates of cesarean and intraamniotic infection. Shortened time to delivery has been known to reduce maternal and perinatal morbidity, such as infection, hemorrhage, and cesarean delivery as well as conserve hospital resources and improve patient satisfaction. Decreasing duration of balloon placement in this population should be considered.
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