Prophylactic amnioinfusion as a treatment for oligohydramnios in laboring patients: a prospective, randomized trial.

Prophylactic amnioinfusion was studied in a randomized sample of 305 patients with oligohydramnios in labor. One hundred seventy-five patients underwent amnioinfusion with the remainder serving as controls. Amniotic fluid was titrated to an amniotic fluid index greater than 10.0 cm in the treatment group. Patients receiving amnioinfusion had significantly less operative intervention for fetal distress (p = 0.0001) and fewer cesarean sections (p = 0.0001). Umbilical artery pH at the time of delivery also was increased (p = 0.0001). Rates of amnionitis and endometritis were not significantly different between infused patients and controls, although the length of hospital stay was significantly decreased (p = 0.002) in the treatment group. Our data support earlier reports in the literature that amnioinfusion is a useful technique for decreasing intrapartum morbidity for both mother and fetus.