Expectant management of preterm premature rupture of membranes and nonvertex presentation: what are the risks?

Objective Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) continues to be a major cause of preterm births. The objective of this study was to compare the morbidity of patients with PPROM nonvertex presentations with patients with PPROM with vertex presentations. Study Design A retrospective analysis of data from 74 patients with PPROM with nonvertex presentations (study group) and 74 patients with PPROM with vertex presentations (control group) comprised the 2 study groups. All patients that met the study admission criteria were treated in a similar manner at 1 of 3 level-III hospitals. The gestational ages at delivery of all patients were between 23-34 weeks, and the gestational ages between case and control patients were matched for gestational age. Results A statistically significant ( P = .03) higher incidence of a prolapsed umbilical cord was found in the study group (n = 8; 10.8%) relative to the control group (n = 1; 1.4%). More infants in the study group had low 5-minute Apgar scores (