[Risk of premature rupture of membranes and prognosis of premature delivery (author's transl)].

Premature rupture of the membranes was found to suppress rather than step up mortality, as was shown by examination of 919 newborns with birth weights of 2,500 g and less. The same conclusion was statistically secured for birth weights between 1,500 g and just below 2,000 g (p less than or equal to 0.05).-The above findings are likely to underscore results obtained by other authors who reported less occurrence of respiratory distress syndromes in premature newborns delivered after premature rupture of the membranes.-The frequency of premature ruptures tends to rise strongly along with declining birth weight, and similar correlations exist between perinatal mortality and birth weight. The authors, therefore, insist on the need for comparing only infants of one and the same birth weight (100 g-intervals), in order to forestall erroneous conclusions, otherwise inevitable.