A controlled trial of amnioinfusion: the prevention of meconium aspiration in labour.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of amnioinfusion on the incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome, perinatal asphyxia and obstetrical intervention rate amongst patients with moderate and thick meconium-stained liquor. A total of 112 patients were studied in a prospective fashion; 60 received amnioinfusion and 52 served as controls. We have shown that amnioinfusion is a simple, relatively inexpensive and safe procedure. It benefits the patient in terms of reduction in the likelihood of operative intervention (specifically Caesarean section) for fetal distress and improvement in neonatal outcome with reduced frequency of neonatal acidaemia.