WHO recommendation on routine antibiotic prophylaxis for women undergoing operative vaginal birth

Download or read book WHO recommendation on routine antibiotic prophylaxis for women undergoing operative vaginal birth written by and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2021-06-18 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Operative vaginal birth” is the term used to describe delivery of the fetal head assisted by either vacuum extractor or forceps. The Guideline Development Group noted that the available evidence, from highincome countries, strongly supports the use of a single dose of intravenous amoxicillin (1 g) and clavulanic acid (200 mg) administered as soon as possible after birth and no more than 6 hours after birth. The effects of other antibiotics and routes of administration for this indication are unknown. The Guideline Development Group recognized that intravenous amoxicillin and clavulanic acid may not be readily available or feasible to use in resource-limited settings and suggested that where this combination is not available, providers should consider the use of an appropriate class of antibiotics with similar spectrum of activity, based on local antimicrobial resistance patterns, safety profile (including allergies), the clinician’s experience with that class of antibiotics, availability and cost. The risk of postpartum infections and side-effects of antibiotics should be discussed with all women undergoing operative vaginal birth at the earliest time possible before or after birth. This recommendation was based on agreement by the Guideline Development Group that the improved health outcomes for women were clinically significant and outweighed the potential effects on emerging antimicrobial resistance.