Once We Find Grade III Meconium Stained Amniotic Fluid, Must We Act as Early as Possible?

BACKGROUND: Grade III meconium stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) is a common obstetric disease, and has the greatest impact on poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. QUESTION OR HYPOTHESIS OR AIM: There is no consensus on treatment, especially on the timing of delivery. METHODS: We collected the medical records of 345 women who gave birth with grade III MSAF and analyzed the difference in baseline characteristics and maternal and neonatal outcomes relative to different labor stage, observation times in the first stage of labor, and the presence or absence of abnormal fetal heart rate (FHR) or thick amniotic fluid. FINDINGS: Higher rate of cesarean section was observed when grade III MSAF was found in active labor. Intervention occurred at an observation time of 90–120 min, but there were no significant differences in maternal or neonatal outcomes shown when the observation time was greater than 3 or 4 hours. However, a higher rate of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit was demonstrated in cases with grade III MSAF with abnormal FHR either in the first or second stage of labor or in cases with thick MSAF in the second stage of labor. DISCUSSION: Higher rate of composite adverse neonatal outcomes was found when secondary MSAF (a transition from clear AF to MSAF) was diagnosed >3 h before delivery. CONCLUSION: In the first stage of labor, an observation time of greater than 4 hours might be possible after grade III MSAF is found if the labor has progressed and is without abnormal FHR.