Risk Factors of Intrapartum Pyrexia in Term Pregnancies and Its Associated Fetomaternal Outcome

Aim and background: The prevalence of intrapartum fever ranges from 1.6 to 14.6% of deliveries.Both infectious and noninfectious causes of maternal fever have been implicated in transient adverse neonatal problems, long-term developmental complications, and adverse obstetric outcomes.The objective of this research is to determine the risk factors of intrapartum fever and the association between intrapartum fever and maternal and fetal outcomes in women admitted for labor management at Government Medical College, Kottayam.Methodology: This is a hospital-based prospective observational study carried out on 104 women with intrapartum pyrexia.Data collected from the history, investigations, and physical examination were entered into a data collection form.All data were recorded into a Microsoft Excel sheet and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0.Results: A total of 21.2% of mothers underwent cesarean section (CS), 11.5% of mothers experienced postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), 51.9% had sepsis, and 58.7% had clinical chorioamnionitis.Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission was required for 23.1% of newborns, 8.7% had early-onset sepsis (EOS), 3.8% were diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome, and 5.8% experienced meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS).The grade of fever was significantly associated with the mode of delivery (p = 0.018), sepsis (p = 0.014), and NICU admission (p = 0.02).The number of fever spikes had association with the mode of delivery (p = 0.02) and NICU admission (p = 0.04). Conclusion:The majority of patients affected by intrapartum fever were nulliparous and underwent induction of labor (IOL).There is a significant association between the grade of fever, number of fever spikes, and fetomaternal outcomes.Clinical significance: This study highlights the association between intrapartum pyrexia and adverse fetomaternal outcomes.A better understanding of these associations can lead to improved management protocols for intrapartum pyrexia.