Abx after ROM? How long before...

[ShannonB25]

your unit does this???

I'm wondering because the last hospital I worked for routinely gave abx at the 12 hr mark if a patient was ruptured, but the unit I work for now doesn't give anything UNTIL Mom is showing signs of infection (febrile, etc)...

The pt I had tonight had been ruptured over 27 hrs and was still not on abx, thus prompting my question. Oh, and her temp was slowly creeping up btw!

Just curious.....

Thanks :)

Shannon

[Altalorraine]

We don't treat ruptured term patients with abx unless/until they're showing signs of infection. Pretermers who are ruptured routinely get a course of IV Ampicillin and then are switched to po. I don't remember the duration of the course of abx though.

Altalorraine

[wubbakat]

Our unit tends to wait until the 16th or 18th of ROM with a term IUP. Though some of our Docs are leaning towards non-treatment unless symptoms arise. As nursing goes, we tend to ask if they would like any Abx when those certain hours of ROM are drawing near, and they sometimes do and sometime don't.

[JaneyW]

The last place I worked, all the docs had standing orders for abx at 18 hours. I am at a teaching hospital now and if they are term and afebrile they are not routinely given abx.

[SmilingBluEyes]

It depends on symptomology, patient history, and yes, time. If excess of 24 hours, ABX often are administered. Or if pt develops a temp greater then 100.4, and baby's FHTs are reflecting this.