Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were included.
Specific interventions included in the review
Antibiotic treatment: intravenous (i.v.) ampicillin plus oral erythromycin; clindamycin followed by oral clindamycin; i.v. ampicillin plus i.v. sulbactam; i.v. ampicillin followed by oral ampicillin; i.v. ampicillin plus i.v. erythromycin followed by oral amoxicillin plus oral erythromycin; i.v. ampicillin followed by oral amoxicillin plus metronidazole suppository followed by oral metronidazole; ceftizoxime.
Participants included in the review
Women with pre-term labour defined as labour before 37 weeks' gestation. The gestational range on admission in the included trials was usually 24 to 34 weeks, although one study included women from 19 weeks. In all studies, women were excluded if there was clinical evidence of maternal infection, premature rupture of membranes, foetal distress or abnormal foetal testing, antepartum haemorrhage, and allergies or contraindications to antibiotic or adjunctive treatments. Patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension, severe maternal disease, uterine anomalies, foetal anomalies, placenta previa, foetal growth restriction, non vertex presentation, and recent use of antibiotics were also excluded.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Neonatal outcomes assessed: mortality, sepsis, pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome or hyaline membrane disease, intraventricular haemorrhage, necrotising enterocolitis. Maternal outcomes assessed: treatment to delivery interval, chorioamnionitis, endometritis and maternal infection.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, although the inclusion criteria were provided, or how many of the authors performed the selection.