Vaginal probiotics as an adjunct to antibiotic prophylaxis in the management of preterm premature rupture of membranes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

• Published in: European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology Vol. 291; pp. 112 - 119
• Main Authors: Baradwan, Saeed, AlSghan, Rayan, Sabban, Hussein, Khadawardi, Khalid, Abdelrahman Mohamed Ali, Zainab, Felemban, Lujain Hisham A., Khamis Galal, Samir, Ragab Rashed, Abdelrahman, Salah Elsayed, Tamer, Mohammed Ibrahim, Elsayed, Abdelghaffar Moustafa, Abdelmonsef, Mohamed Abdelhakim, Ahmed, Abdelaziz, Ahmed, Abdelgawad Magdy, Hagar, ElHodiby, Mohamed E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2023
• ISSN: 0301-2115; 1872-7654
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2023.10.011

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy of vaginal probiotics administration in combination with prophylactic antibiotics versus antibiotic prophylaxis only on perinatal outcomes in women with preterm premature rupture of membrane (PPROM).METHODSFour different databases were searched from inception till March 2023. We selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared vaginal probiotics along with antibiotics versus antibiotics only among pregnant women who were presented with PPROM between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation. We performed the meta-analysis using Revman software. Our primary outcomes were gestational age at birth and latency period duration. Our secondary outcomes were the rate of admission in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), infant birth weight, length of stay in the NICU, and neonatal complications.RESULTSFour RCTs, involving a total of 339 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. The gestational age at the time of delivery and latency period duration were significantly higher among probiotics + antibiotics group (p = 0.01 & p < 0.001). There was a significant reduction in the rate of NICU admission and length of NICU stay among the probiotics + antibiotics group compared to the antibiotics only group. A significant improvement in the infant birth weight after delivery was demonstrated among the probiotics + antibiotics group (p = 0.002). Although there was a decrease in the incidence of neonatal sepsis and respiratory distress syndrome within probiotics + antibiotics group versus antibiotics only group, these differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05).CONCLUSIONSThe combination of vaginal probiotics and antibiotic prophylaxis has been shown to effectively improve perinatal outcomes in women with PPROM. Further trials are needed to validate our findings.