Puerperal febrile complications and cervical flora following elective manual exploration of the uterus.

Two hundred patients who underwent vaginal delivery were randomly divided into two groups on arrival to the case room in labor. After delivery was completed the uteri of 100 patients were manually explored; the remainder of the patients served as a control group. Aerobic and anaerobic cultures of the endocervix were taken from 50 patients in each group, during labor and on the fourth postpartum day. There was no difference in the number of puerperal febrile complications between the groups. Endocervical cultures showed a marked increase in the incidence of Escherichia coli and anaerobic bacteria after delivery. This increase occurred in both groups in similar proportions and was not affected by manual exploration.