Is There a Place for Outpatient Preinduction Cervical Ripening?

Beth Leopold; Anthony Sciscione

doi:10.1016/j.ogc.2017.08.010

Is There a Place for Outpatient Preinduction Cervical Ripening?

Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2017 Dec;44(4):583-591. doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2017.08.010.

Authors

Beth Leopold¹, Anthony Sciscione²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Christiana Care Health System, 4755 Ogletown-Stanton Road, PO BOX 6001, Newark, Delaware 19718, USA.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Christiana Care Health System, 4755 Ogletown-Stanton Road, PO BOX 6001, Newark, Delaware 19718, USA. Electronic address: asciscione@christianacare.org.

PMID: 29078940
DOI: 10.1016/j.ogc.2017.08.010

Abstract

Induction of labor continues to be one of the most commonly performed tasks in obstetrics. If trials like the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's ARRIVE trial show that delivery for all women at 39 weeks provides a significant advantage in pregnancy outcomes, the number of women who require induction of labor will considerably increase. Strategies to improve patient/family satisfaction, decrease resource allocation and costs, and assure safety are paramount. Although there are many potential candidates, it seems that outpatient preinduction cervical ripening with the Foley catheter meets these criteria in a properly selected group of low-risk women.

Keywords: Cervical ripening; Outpatient; Preinduction; Safety.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Ambulatory Care / methods*
Cervical Ripening / drug effects*
Female
Humans
Labor, Induced* / adverse effects
Labor, Induced* / methods
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Outcome
Safety Management