The effect of Maternal Intravenous Hydration on amniotic fluid index in oligohydramnios

The effect of Maternal Intravenous Hydration on amniotic fluid index in oligohydramnios
Fatemeh Azarkish,^1,* Roksana Janghorban ,²
1. , Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences, Iranshahr, Iran
Introduction: Assessing amniotic fluid determines an important dimension of fetal health. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of maternal intravenous liquid therapy on amniotic fluid index (AFI) in oligohydramnios.
Methods: All the eligible women diagnosed with oligohydramnios were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=31) (infusion of 3 liters of an isotonic Ringer’s lactate solution within 24 hours) and a control group (n=30) (a constant-rate fluid infusion to keep vein open). AFI was measured in both groups before and 48 hours after the intervention. The patients, the sonographer and the person in charge of data analysis were blinded to the grouping of the women. Within-group differences were analyzed using the paired t-test and between-group differences using the t-test. P<0.05 was set as the level of statistical significance.
Results: The two groups of the women were matched in terms of age, parity, gestational age and birth weight of newborns. Forty-eight hours after completing fluid therapy, statistically-significant differences were observed in the mean AFI in the intervention group (4.06±0.33) and the control group (3.61±0.35) (P<0.0001) and also between the intervention group (0.532±0.45) and the controls (-0.036±0.18) (P<0.0001).
Conclusion: The results of the present randomized clinical trial suggested Maternal Intravenous Hydration significantly increases AFI in women with oligohydramnios. This treatment can be therefore employed to reduce maternal and fetal complications in oligohydramnios cases.
Keywords: Maternal intravenous Hydration, Amniotic fluid index, oligohydramnios