Current perspectives on the use of fetal fibronectin testing in preterm labor diagnosis and management.

Current perspectives on the use of fetal fibronectin testing in preterm labor diagnosis and management. Am J Manag Care. 2017 Dec;23(19 Suppl):S356-S362 Authors: Ruma MS, Bittner KC, Soh CB Abstract One in 10 infants in the United States is delivered preterm (ie, before the 37th week of pregnancy), contributing to the significant burden on the national healthcare system. Nevertheless, a lack of agreement continues among obstetric professional societies on guidelines for standardization of the approach to the diagnosis and management of patients with symptoms of preterm labor (PTL). This disparity in consensus has likely resulted in poor identification of women at an increased risk for preterm birth (PTB). This paper presents an overview of several clinical guidelines and recommendations from a variety of studies regarding the use of fetal fibronectin (fFN) testing and transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) cervical length measurement, 2 tools that are used to assess the risk of spontaneous PTB (sPTB) in women with symptoms of PTL. We identify areas of commonality and discord within these publications. Although inconsistencies exist among the published guidelines, algorithms, and studies on how to diagnose and treat women with symptoms of PTL, each of them supports the use of fFN in conjunction with TVU for assessing the risk of sPTB. In addition, we review a case study from a regional hospital system with results demonstrating the benefits to...
Source: The American Journal of Managed Care - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Am J Manag Care Source Type: research