A multicenter study on the clinical outcome of chorioamnionitis in preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of clinical maternal chorioamnionitis on morbidity and mortality rates among infants who are at < 33 weeks of gestation, adjusted for patient characteristics that included admission neonatal illness severity (Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology, version II; SNAP-II).

STUDY DESIGN: With multivariate logistic regression analysis, prospectively collected hospital outcomes from the Canadian Neonatal Network of singleton infants with birth gestational age of < 33 weeks and clinical chorioamnionitis were compared retrospectively with nonexposed infants.

RESULTS: Of 3094 infants, 477 infants (15.4%) who were exposed to clinical chorioamnionitis had significantly higher admission SNAP-II scores. Bivariate analysis revealed that the neonatal mortality rate was increased significantly in the chorioamnionitis group (10.6% vs 6.1%). Multivariate regression analysis with adjustment for illness severity indicated that chorioamnionitis was associated with an increased risk of early sepsis (odds ratio, 5.54; 95% confidence interval, 2.87-10.69) and severe intraventricular hemorrhage (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-2.24) but not neonatal death.

CONCLUSION: Preterm infants who are exposed to clinical chorioamnionitis have an increased risk of early-onset sepsis and severe intraventricular hemorrhage.