TABLE 3.
Characteristics Associated With Prolonged Initial Empirical Antibiotic Treatment
| Prolonged Initial Empirical Antibiotic Treatment |
p | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| No (N = 1892) |
Yes (N = 2147) |
||
| Maternal demographic features | |||
| Married, n (%) | 873 (47) | 914 (43) | .02 |
| Gravida, mean ± SD | 2.62 ± 1.88 | 2.87 ± 2.05 | <.001 |
| Multiple gestation, n (%) | 459 (24) | 435 (20) | .002 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 539 (29) | 422 (20) | <.001 |
| Prenatal steroid treatment, n (%) | 1538 (82) | 1685 (79) | .02 |
| >1 course of prenatal steroid treatment,n(%) |
144 (8) | 131 (6) | .07 |
| Intrapartum antibiotic treatment, n (%) |
1213 (64) | 1515 (71) | <.001 |
| Rupture of membranes for >24 h, n (%) | 336 (18) | 569 (27) | <.001 |
| Cesarean section, n (%) | 1207 (64) | 1184 (55) | <.001 |
| Neonatal demographic features | |||
| Birth weight, mean ± SD, g | 790 ± 139 | 752 ± 144 | <.001 |
| Gestational age, mean ± SD, wk | 26.3 ± 2.01 | 25.6 ± 1.89 | <.001 |
| Female, n (%) | 1036 (55) | 1049 (49) | <.001 |
| Race, n (%) | |||
| Black | 783 (42) | 1031 (48) | <.001 |
| White | 771 (41) | 762 (35) | |
| Hispanic | 270 (14) | 299 (14) | |
| Other | 62 (3) | 53 (2) | |
| Small for gestational age, n (%) | 366 (19) | 308 (14) | <.001 |
| 5-min Apgar score of<5, n (%) | 205 (11) | 391 (18) | <.001 |
Variables tested but not associated with prolonged initial empirical antibiotic treatment with P <.1 included maternal age of<25 years, prenatal care (defined as≥1 visit before delivery), maternal diabetes mellitus, maternal hemorrhage, completed ≥1 course of prenatal steroid treatment, and maternal use of tocolytics.