Efficacy and safety of Laminaria digitata for preinduction ripening of the cervix.

Twenty-five study patients in whom laminaria tents had been used for the preinduction ripening of the cervix were compared with 28 control patients in a retrospective study. Both groups had comparable indications for induction, parity, mean maternal age, mean birth weight, and gestational age. Although laminaria appeared to be effective in reducing the duration of induction, no difference in the incidence of cesarean birth was apparent between the laminaria and nonlaminaria groups. Maternal endometritis was present in 15 of 25 mothers in the laminaria group, and in 3 of 28 in the control group (P less than .05). All 9 mothers who had cesarean deliveries in the study group had endometritis, whereas it occurred in only 3 of 11 in the control group (P less than .005). Six of the 16 patients in the study group who delivered vaginally had endometritis, whereas none of 17 in the control groups has it (P less than .01). Five of 25 neonates in the study group has sepsis, but there was no evidence of sepsis in the 28 control neonates (P less than .05). Three of the 5 septic neonates died. There were no neonatal deaths in the control group. The findings suggest that laminaria use in associated with significant risk of maternal and neonatal infectious morbidity.