Prevention of neonatal infection with group B streptococci: what the best strategy is remains unclear

Early-onset group B streptococcal disease (GBS disease) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in newborn infants. There is no international agreement on the best strategy for selecting pregnant women for antibiotic prophylaxis during delivery in order to reduce the incidence of this disease. A cost-effectiveness study of 4 strategies using a theoretical model showed that the risk strategy (antibiotics for women at risk) and combination strategy (antibiotics for GBS-positive women at risk) seemed more cost-effective than the current Dutch strategy (antibiotics for women at risk ifGBS positive) and the screening strategy (antibiotics for GBS-positive women). Balancing the possible effects, costs, unwanted side effects, and limitations of the implementation of either strategy in the Netherlands, the combination strategy may be a reasonable option. The possibly favourable introduction of PCR screening techniques and vaginal chlorhexidine flushing in Dutch obstetric practice deserves further scientific attention.     

Laboratory practices for prenatal group B streptococcal screening--seven states, 2003

In the United States, group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of serious bacterial infections in newborns. In 1996, consensus guidelines for use of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) to prevent perinatal GBS disease recommended either of two methods for identifying candidates for chemoprophylaxis: 1) late prenatal culture-based screening for GBS colonization or 2) monitoring of women intrapartum for particular risk factors associated with early-onset GBS disease. Evidence that culture-based screening was substantially more effective than the risk-based approach led to revised guidelines in 2002 recommending late prenatal GBS screening for all pregnant women. Although methods for isolation and identification of GBS from prenatal specimens remained the same as those recommended in 1996, the 2002 guidelines recommended that laboratories perform antimicrobial susceptibility testing on prenatal GBS isolates from women at high risk for penicillin anaphylaxis and clarified that laboratories should report the presence of any GBS in urine specimens from pregnant women. To assess laboratory adherence to recommendations in the 2002 guidelines, CDC's Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs)/Emerging Infections Program Network surveyed clinical laboratories about prenatal culture-processing practices in 2003. This report summarizes the results of that survey, which indicated that, although adherence to GBS isolation procedures was high, opportunities exist to improve implementation of recommendations related to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and GBS bacteriuria.     

Prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease. Revised guidelines from CDC.

Group B streptococcus (GBS) remains a leading cause of serious neonatal infection despite great progress in perinatal GBS disease prevention in the 1990s. In 1996, CDC, in collaboration with other agencies, published guidelines for the prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease (CDC. Prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease: a public health perspective. MMWR 1996;45[RR-7]:1-24). Data collected after the issuance of the 1996 guidelines prompted reevaluation of prevention strategies at a meeting of clinical and public health representatives in November 2001. This report replaces CDC's 1996 guidelines. The recommendations are based on available evidence and expert opinion where sufficient evidence was lacking. Although many of the recommendations in the 2002 guidelines are the same as those in 1996, they include some key changes: * Recommendation of universal prenatal screening for vaginal and rectal GBS colonization of all pregnant women at 35-37 weeks' gestation, based on recent documentation in a large retrospective cohort study of a strong protective effect of this culture-based screening strategy relative to the risk-based strategy * Updated prophylaxis regimens for women with penicillin allergy * Detailed instruction on prenatal specimen collection and expanded methods of GBS culture processing, including instructions on antimicrobial susceptibility testing * Recommendation against routine intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis for GBS-colonized women undergoing planned cesarean deliveries who have not begun labor or had rupture of membranes * A suggested algorithm for management of patients with threatened preterm delivery * An updated algorithm for management of newborns exposed to intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis Although universal screening for GBS colonization is anticipated to result in further reductions in the burden of GBS disease, the need to monitor for potential adverse consequences of intrapartum antibiotic use, such as emergence of bacterial antimicrobial resistance or increased incidence or severity of non-GBS neonatal pathogens, continues, and intrapartum antibiotics are still viewed as an interim strategy until GBS vaccines achieve licensure.     

Integrated Monitoring of a New Group B Streptococcal Disease Prevention Program and Other Perinatal Infections

Objective: To determine levels of prenatal screening for several infections, intrapartum recognition of risk factors, and prophylaxis against mother-to-child transmission of group B streptococcus. Methods: Review of stratified random sample of hospital records for deliveries in Connecticut during 1996. SUDAAN analysis was used to adjust for the complex survey design, and weighting adjusted for the probability of being sampled and nonresponse. Results: Of 992 records requested, 868 (88%) were abstracted and analyzed. Thirty-six percent of women had prenatal screening for group B streptococcus and 26% had been tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), while 97–99% of women had been screened prenatally for hepatitis B surface antigen, rubella, and syphilis. Of those women tested, 17% were detected as group B streptococcus carriers, and 78% of these received intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. Among women who were not screened for group B streptococcus prenatally, 22% met risk-based criteria for prophylaxis, but only 45% of these received intrapartum prophylaxis. Among unscreened women with a risk factor, those with shorter hospital stays prior to delivery, admitted on evening or night shifts, or who delivered on the weekend were significantly less likely to receive intrapartum prophylaxis. Conclusion: In 1996, the majority of women who delivered in Connecticut were not tested prenatally for group B streptococcus and the majority of those not tested in whom there was an indication for prophylaxis were not treated. Compliance with group B streptococcus prevention recommendations can be improved through increased prenatal testing and/or better recognition of risk-based criteria for intrapartum prophylaxis.     

The impact of prenatal exposure to cocaine on newborn costs and length of stay.

OBJECTIVE: Our intention is to determine newborn costs and lengths of stay attributable to prenatal exposure to cocaine and other illicit drugs. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: All parturients who delivered at a large municipal hospital in New York City between November 18, 1991 and April 11, 1992. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis used multivariate, loglinear regressions to analyze differences in costs and length of stay between infants exposed and unexposed prenatally to cocaine and other illicit drugs, adjusting for maternal race, age, prenatal care, tobacco, parity, type of delivery, birth weight, prematurity, and newborn infection. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Urine specimens, with linked obstetric sheets and discharge abstracts, provided information on exposure, prenatal behaviors, costs, length of stay, and discharge disposition. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Infants exposed to cocaine or some other illicit drug stay approximately seven days longer at a cost of $7,731 more than infants unexposed. Approximately 60 percent of these costs are indirect, the result of adverse birth outcomes and newborn infection. Hospital screening as recorded on discharge abstracts substantially underestimates prevalence at delivery, but overestimates its impact on costs.     

足月儿和晚期早产儿出生早期呼吸困难的不同抗菌药物使用策略研究

目的探讨将抗菌药物使用策略,由临床风险评估策略转变为风险评估结合感染筛查及监测策略,对出生早期有呼吸困难的足月新生儿和晚期早产儿抗菌药物使用率及治疗结局的影响。方法采用队列研究方法,选择2009年7月至2013年6月在四川大学华西第二医院新生儿科住院治疗的1712例合并呼吸困难的新生儿为研究对象。按照住院时间将其分为：研究组（n=776,住院时间为201i年7月至2013年6月）及对照组（n=936,住院时间为2009年7月至2011年6月）。对照组新生儿仅按照风险评估结果进行抗菌药物治疗,而研究组则按照风险评估结合感染筛查及监测结果进行抗菌药物治疗。对两组患儿抗菌药物使用率、再入院率、平均住院日及感染相关不良事件等进行统计学分析。两组患儿人院时年龄及性别构成比比较,差异均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。本研究遵循的程序符合四川大学华西第二医院人体试验委员会制定的伦理学标准,得到该委员会批准,分组征得患儿家属知情同意,并与家属签署临床研究知情同意书。结果两组均无死亡病例。①研究组抗菌药物使用率较对照组显著降低,且差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。②两组患儿再人院率及平均住院日比较,差异均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。③两组患儿医院获得性感染、感染性肺炎、败血症、坏死性小肠结肠炎等与感染相关的不良事件发生率比较,差异亦均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。结论根据风险评估结合感染筛查及监测结果制定抗菌药物使用策略,可明显降低出生早期有呼吸困难足月新生儿和晚期早产儿的抗菌药物使用率,且不会对患儿产生不良影响。     

Screening and management protocols for group B streptococcus in pregnancy

Infection with Group B streptococcus (Streptococcus agalactiae) (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Screening by antepartum cultures or by risk factors and intrapartum antibiotics has been shown to reduce the risk of early onset GBS disease in newborns, but controversy exists about the best approach for screening and treatment. Currently recommended protocols do not prevent all cases of early onset GBS disease. Intrapartum antibiotics are not without harm, and currently recommended protocols will result in large numbers of women being treated who would not have benefited from treatment. In this article, we review the advantages and disadvantages of currently recommended protocols.     

Clinical and economic outcomes for term infants associated with increasing administration of antibiotics to their mothers

Implementation of national guidelines for the prevention of group B streptococcal (GBS) infections has led to an increase in intrapartum antibiotic use and reduction in early-onset GBS infections in newborns. Other outcomes, including the clinical diagnosis of sepsis in term infants, treatment with antibiotics, length of stay, and cost have not been described. To examine these outcomes, we performed an analysis of maternal and newborn data collected between 1998 and 2002 of 130 447 in-hospital births of newborns >or=37 weeks gestation and their mothers from a large vertically integrated healthcare organisation in Utah. The main outcome measures included: (i) the number of women delivering at term who received intravenous antibiotics; (ii) the number of newborns treated for 'clinical sepsis', which was defined as receiving antibiotics for >72 h and the number of newborns who received antibiotics for 相似文献   

预防胎膜早破孕妇B族链球菌感染的临床方案效果分析

目的：对2010年美国疾病预防控制中心（CDC）B族链球菌（GBS）预防指南中关于胎膜早破（PROM）孕妇的管理策略进行确认。方法：选取2016年1—2月间在苏州市立医院住院分娩的PROM孕妇394例的临床资料进行回顾性研究,其中未足月胎膜早破（PPROM组）84例（孕周＜37周）,足月胎膜早破（足月PROM组）310例（孕周≥37周）,根据2010年美国CDC指南中关于PROM孕妇的管理策略进行临床实施,同时借鉴了既往指南中基于培养和基于高危因素的2种方案给予产时抗生素预防（IAP）,追踪新生儿结局。统计2组PROM孕妇中GBS定植率,新生儿早发型GBS感染性疾病（EOD）的发生率及其相关性,同时分析了IAP对EOD发生率的影响。结果：PPROM组的GBS定植率高于足月PROM组,差异有统计学意义（11.9% vs. 4.8%, χ2=5.55,P＝0.018）,PROM孕妇中GBS定植是早产的危险因素（OR=2.658,95%CI：1.148～6.155）。PPROM组与足月PROM组的EOD发生率比较差异无统计学意义（2.38% vs. 0.65%, χ2=1.98,P=0.159）。充分IAP的孕妇其新生儿无一例发生EOD（0/212）,未进行IAP或IAP不充分孕妇EOD的发生率为2.25%（4/178）,差异有统计学意义（χ2＝4.71,P=0.03）,充分IAP是EOD的保护因素（OR=0.456,95%CI：0.410～0.509）。结论：对于胎膜早破孕妇需严格遵循指南进行筛查管理及IAP,重视高危因素,其中早产是最值得关注的高危因素。     

Neonatal group B streptococcal disease: how infection control teams can contribute to prevention efforts.

Group B streptococcal (GBS) disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among newborns. Many cases of newborn GBS disease can be prevented by the administration of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. Current consensus guidelines for prevention of perinatal GBS disease have led to substantial declines in the incidence of GBS disease occurring in newborns <7 days of age (early-onset disease). Despite declines in the incidence of early-onset disease, approximately 20% of pregnant women are colonized with GBS at the time of labor and thus have the risk of transmitting the bacteria to their newborns. Consequently, continued and improved implementation of prevention efforts is essential. Infection control teams can contribute uniquely to prevention of perinatal GBS disease by serving as hospital champions of GBS disease prevention. In particular, teams can coordinate with administration and staff to encourage establishment and effective implementation of GBS prevention policies; facilitate improved laboratory processing of prenatal GBS screening specimens; monitor any adverse consequences of increased use of intrapartum antibiotics within the hospital; and investigate GBS cases that occur to determine whether they could have been prevented. By spearheading efforts to improve implementation of perinatal GBS disease prevention at the hospital level, hospital epidemiologists and infection control practitioners can play an important role in reducing the burden of early-onset GBS disease.     

Does Additional Prenatal Care in the Home Improve Birth Outcomes for Women with a Prior Preterm Delivery? A Randomized Clinical Trial

Women with a history of a prior preterm birth (PTB) have a high probability of a recurrent preterm birth. Some risk factors and health behaviors that contribute to PTB may be amenable to intervention. Home visitation is a promising method to deliver evidence based interventions. We evaluated a system of care designed to reduce preterm births and hospital length of stay in a sample of pregnant women with a history of a PTB. Single site randomized clinical trial. Eligibility: >18 years with prior live birth ≥20–<37 weeks gestation; <24 weeks gestation at enrollment; spoke and read English; received care at regional medical center. All participants (N = 211) received standard prenatal care. Intervention participants (N = 109) also received home visits by certified nurse-midwives guided by protocols for specific risk factors (e.g., depressive symptoms, abuse, smoking). Data was collected via multiple methods and sources including intervention fidelity assessments. Average age 27.8 years; mean gestational age at enrollment was 15 weeks. Racial breakdown mirrored local demographics. Most had a partner, high school education, and 62 % had Medicaid. No statistically significant group differences were found in gestational age at birth. Intervention participants had a shorter intrapartum length of stay. Enhanced prenatal care by nurse-midwife home visits may limit some risk factors and shorten intrapartum length of stay for women with a prior PTB. This study contributes to knowledge about evidence-based home visit interventions directed at risk factors associated with PTB.     

Prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease in Minnesota: results from a retrospective cohort study and new prevention guidelines

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is an important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality in the United States. In 1996, guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that prenatal care providers either screen all pregnant women for GBS carriage and offer intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) to women who test positive, or offer IAP to women who have risk factors for early-onset GBS (EOGBS) disease during pregnancy. A recent multi-state retrospective cohort compared the efficacy of the 2 methods and found the screening-based method to be significantly more effective at reducing the incidence of EOGBS. One of the study sites was the 7-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Analysis of Minnesota data also found screening to be more effective in reducing EOGBS than the risk-based approach. In August 2002, the CDC published new guidelines that recommend adoption of a universal screening approach to management of perinatal GBS infections.     

孕晚期 B族链球菌带菌者母儿结局及高危因素分析

目的：了解孕晚期孕妇B族链球菌（ GBS）的带菌情况及应用抗生素预防性治疗后的母儿结局,并分析GBS带菌的高危因素。方法回顾性收集2014年1月至2014年12月在北京妇产医院分娩体验门诊就诊的孕妇4959例,于孕35～37周采集阴道下1／3及肛门括约肌上2～3cm处直肠标本（共1份）,采用PCR法进行GBS检测,其中278例检测出B族链球菌阳性者为研究组,随机抽取同期产检332例检测GBS阴性者为对照组。 GBS阳性者临产后或胎膜早破时给予抗生素预防感染,分析其妊娠结局及GBS带菌的高危因素。结果 GBS阳性者278例,带菌率为5．61％。 GBS阳性组年龄显著高于GBS阴性组（ t＝2．941,P＜0．05）,两组文化程度有显著性差异（χ2＝8．108,P＜0．05）,而两组经产妇所占比例无显著性差异（χ2＝2．593,P＞0．05）。新生儿中无GBS感染导致肺炎、败血症、脑膜炎等发生,1例可疑GBS感染,1例新生儿脓疱疹。 GBS阳性组新生儿窒息发生率显著高于GBS阴性组（χ2＝4．809,P＜0．05）,两组胎膜早破、胎儿窘迫、产时发热比较均无显著性差异（χ2值分别为1．180、0．009、2．187,均P＞0．05）,两组新生儿体重、产后出血比较均无显著性差异（t值分别为0．497、0．529,均P＞0．05）。年龄、阴道炎是GBS定植的危险因素（OR值分别为1．071、2．955,均P＜0．05）,而糖尿病不是GBS定植的高危因素（OR＝1．108,P＞0．05）。结论 GBS阳性孕妇临产后使用抗生素规范治疗可改善母儿结局,建议对GBS高危人群进行筛查。     

Diminishing racial disparities in early-onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease--United States, 2000-2003

Increased use of intrapartum antibiotics to prevent perinatal group B streptococcal (GBS) disease during the 1990s led to substantial declines in the incidence of GBS disease in newborns. Despite this success, at the end of the 1990s, early-onset GBS disease (in infants aged <7 days) continued to be a leading infectious cause of neonatal mortality in the United States, and black infants remained at higher risk than white infants. In 2002, CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) revised guidelines for prevention of early-onset GBS disease to recommend late prenatal screening of all pregnant women and intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) for GBS carriers. These guidelines were expected to result in further declines in early-onset disease. This report updates early-onset incidence trends since 1999 analyzed by using population-based, multistate data from the Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs)/Emerging Infections Program Network. The results of the analysis indicated that 1) after a plateau in early-onset disease incidence during 1999-2002, rates declined 34% in 2003 and 2) although racial disparities in incidence persist, rates for blacks now approach the 2010 national health objective of 0.5 cases per 1,000 live births. Continued implementation of screening and prophylaxis guidelines by clinicians and public health practitioners should lead to further declines in racial disparities.     

Prenatal Care Utilization and the Implementation of Prophylaxis to Prevent Perinatal HIV-1 Transmission

OBJECTIVES: To describe prenatal care utilization among women with HIV-1 in 4 US states, and to determine whether the adequacy of prenatal care utilization is associated with the implementation of prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal HIV antiretroviral therapy (ARV). METHODS: Three-hundred three women completed a prenatal interview. Prenatal, labor and delivery, and infant medical records were reviewed. RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent of women did not receive adequate prenatal care; nearly one quarter of women did not begin care within the recommended timeframe, and approximately one-fifth of women received fewer than the recommended number of prenatal care visits from the time of entry into care until delivery. Those classified as less than adequate in terms of receipt of recommended visits were at increased risk for not receiving ARV during the prenatal care period and during labor and delivery, and were more likely to have had an infant subsequently diagnosed with HIV infection. CONCLUSION: Although women with HIV require adequate prenatal care for their own health as well as to improve perinatal outcomes, many are at risk for not receiving this care. Lower adherence to prenatal care appointments is an important risk factor for not receiving full HIV prophylactic regimens.     

Evaluation of prenatal screening for toxoplasmosis in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil: a cross-sectional study of postpartum women in two maternity hospitals

This cross-sectional study of 420 women in two public maternity hospitals from August 2004 to May 2005 evaluated the application of a prenatal toxoplasmosis serological screening protocol in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, and the information provided to susceptible pregnant women. Ninety-eight percent of women received prenatal care and 97% underwent the initial serological screening test, at an average of 16 weeks gestational age. The initial testing identified 163 women as susceptible to toxoplasmosis: 44% of these did not undergo repeat serological testing, and 42% of them did not remember having received information on the prevention of toxoplasmosis infection. Early prenatal care and a high number of prenatal visits were associated with repeat serological testing and orientation regarding its implications. Orientation on risk factors included: avoiding contact with cats (95%), not handling or eating raw meat (70%), and washing vegetables carefully before consumption (53%). Inadequate adherence to the prenatal screening protocol for toxoplasmosis, as detected in this study, may be generating health system costs without a corresponding improvement in the quality of perinatal care.     

The necessity of both anorectal and vaginal cultures for group B streptococcus screening during pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Group B streptococcus (GBS) sepsis affects approximately 2 of every 1000 newborns. In an effort to decrease the incidence of neonatal GBS infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have established guidelines for screening and treatment during pregnancy. One strategy includes obtaining both vaginal and anorectal GBS cultures, then treating patients whose cultures are positive. Many of our patients are reluctant to undergo anorectal cultures. We conducted a study to determine whether performing cultures of both the vagina and anorectum would change patient management. METHODS: We obtained vaginal and anorectal GBS cultures from 222 consecutive patients at 35 to 37 weeks' gestation. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients (24.3%) had positive GBS cultures. Of those women, 10 (18.5%) had negative vaginal but positive rectal cultures. Thus, nearly one fifth of the patients with GBS colonization would not have received intrapartum antibiotics if only vaginal cultures had been performed. CONCLUSIONS: Health care providers caring for pregnant patients should consider obtaining both vaginal and anorectal cultures when screening for Group B streptococcus.     

Disparities in universal prenatal screening for group B streptococcus--North Carolina, 2002-2003

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the United States. Intrapartum antibiotics administered to women at risk for transmitting GBS to their newborns are effective in preventing perinatal GBS infection. In 2002, CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended universal prenatal screening for vaginal and rectal GBS colonization at 35-37 weeks' gestation. To examine prenatal GBS screening among pregnant women in North Carolina, CDC analyzed 2002 and 2003 data from the North Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). The proportions of women reporting prenatal screening for GBS were similar in 2002 and 2003 (70% and 74%, respectively); however, for both years, women of Hispanic ethnicity and women who received prenatal care at a hospital or health department clinic were less likely to report prenatal screening for GBS. These findings underscore the need to increase GBS-related education and prevention activities targeted to these populations.     

Effect of antibiotics on vulvovaginal candidiasis: a MetroNet study

PURPOSE: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is believed common after systemic antibiotic therapy, yet few studies demonstrate this association. In this pilot study, we evaluate the effect of short-course oral antibiotic use on VVC. METHODS: Nonpregnant women aged 18 to 64 years who required >or=3 days oral antibiotics for nongynecological diseases were recruited from a family medicine office. Age-matched (+/-5 years) women seen in the same clinic for noninfectious problems were recruited as controls. The main outcomes are incidence of symptomatic VVC and prevalence of positive vaginal Candida culture 4 to 6 weeks after antibiotics. RESULTS: Eighty (44 in antibiotic group) women were recruited; 14 of 79 (95% CI, 0.11-0.28) had asymptomatic vaginal Candida cultures positive at baseline. During follow-up, 10 of 27 (95% CI, 0.22-0.56) women in antibiotic group were Candida culture positive. In contrast, 3 of 27 (95% CI, 0.04-0.28) women in the control group were Candida culture positive (relative risk, 3.33; P = .03). Meanwhile, 6 of 27 (95% CI, 0.11-0.41) women in antibiotic group developed symptomatic VVC whereas none (95% CI, 0-0.12) of the women in the control group developed vaginal symptoms (relative risk, infinity; P = .02). Baseline Candida culture did not predict subsequent symptomatic VVC after antibiotics. CONCLUSION: In this pilot study, the use of short courses of oral antibiotics seems to increase prevalence of asymptomatic vaginal Candida colonization and incidence of symptomatic VVC. Larger cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings.     

The relationship between assessed obstetric risk and maternal-perinatal outcome

The relationship between antepartum risk assessment and subsequent maternal and perinatal outcome was examined in a retrospective study of 430 randomly selected deliveries at the Oregon Health Sciences University during the 1986 calendar year. Antepartum risk scores at the initial prenatal visit and at 37 weeks' gestation were positively correlated with each other. Antepartum risk scores were correlated with maternal length of stay and maternal hospital charges, but not with gestational age, birth weight, or Apgar scores. Increased intrapartum risk scores were strongly correlated with increasing length of stay for mother and baby, lower birth weight, and lower estimated gestational age at birth. The ability of the risk-scoring system to predict selected adverse outcomes was then assessed using a high-risk cutoff score of 5 or greater. Sensitivity and positive predictive value were found to be quite low while specificity and negative predictive value were reasonably high. The results suggest that the risk-scoring system used at this institution is effective in identifying low obstetrical risk and that prenatal care reduces the probability of poor neonatal outcome among infants of women at high obstetrical risk identified through antepartum multivariate assessment. Two antepartum risk assessments, each measuring different factors, may be redundant. Not yet known are which specific factors by their identification result in more effective prenatal care.