Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Consult Series #44: management of bleeding in the late preterm period.

Third-trimester bleeding is a common complication arising from a variety of etiologies, some of which may initially present in the late preterm period. Previous management recommendations have not been specific to this gestational age window, which carries a potentially lower threshold for delivery. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on management of late preterm (34 0/7-36 6/7 weeks of gestation) vaginal bleeding. The following are Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommendations: (1) we recommend delivery at 36-37 6/7 weeks of gestation for stable women with placenta previa without bleeding or other obstetric complications, such as preeclampsia or fetal growth restriction (Grade 1B); (2) we do not recommend routine cervical length screening for women with placenta previa in the late preterm period because of a lack of data on an appropriate management strategy (Grade 2C); (3) we recommend a planned delivery between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation for stable women with placenta accreta (Grade 1C); (4) we recommend delivery between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation for stable women with vasa previa (Grade 1C); (5) we recommend that in women with active hemorrhage in the late preterm period, delivery should not be delayed for the purpose of administering antenatal corticosteroids (Grade 1B); (6) we recommend that fetal lung maturity testing should not be used to guide management in the late preterm period when an indication for delivery is present (Grade 1B); and (7) we recommend that antenatal corticosteroids should be administered to women who are eligible and are managed expectantly if delivery is likely within 7 days, the gestational age is between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks of gestation, and antenatal corticosteroids has not previously been administered (Grade 1A). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman. Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Consult Series #44: management of bleeding in the late preterm period. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology. 2017 Oct 25

PMID: 29079144

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