Gastroschisis: the effect of labor and ruptured membranes on neonatal outcome.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between labor and ruptured membranes on the neonatal outcome of infants with gastroschisis.

Study Design: We reviewed the outcomes of 60 neonates who were prenatally diagnosed with gastroschisis and who were delivered at the University of North Carolina Hospitals between June 1989 and April 1999.

Results: The mean gestational age at delivery was 36 weeks. Four infants (7%) died in the neonatal period, and 19 infants (32%) had a major morbidity. No significant differences appeared in any of the neonatal outcomes when they were stratified by the presence or absence of labor and presence or absence of ruptured membranes. After being controlled for confounding variables, the risk of neonatal death or major neonatal morbidity because of exposure to either labor or ruptured membranes was no different than the risks caused by no labor or intact membranes, respectively.

Conclusion: Labor and ruptured membranes do not appear to be associated with increased neonatal morbidity or mortality rates in neonates with gastroschisis.