Short arrest of cervical dilatation: a risk for maternal/fetal/infant morbidity.

The characteristics of short arrest of dilatation (failure to dilate in active labor for greater than or equal to 1 hour, but less than 2 hours) were assessed by evaluating 2,489 consecutive deliveries. Short arrests were found to be similar to secondary arrests of dilatation as maternal/fetal/infant risks. Short arrest was associated with an increase in labor abnormality, fetal distress, evidence of maternal/infant trauma, an operative delivery. The findings of this study suggest that hourly vaginal examination to detect short arrest is a reasonable approach to following the progress of labor, and that electronic fetal monitoring may be indicated when short arrest of dilatation is diagnosed. Although the risk for operative delivery was found to be increased, over 80% of the patients with short arrest had normal vaginal deliveries.