O&G Cases · Intrapartum care — preterm birth
Imminent preterm birth at 25 weeks in a regional hospital — emergency management station
Team-based emergency station: imminent extremely preterm breech birth in a hospital without neonatal intensive care. Tests the bundle under time pressure, the tocolysis and transfer decisions, mode-of-birth reasoning at 25 weeks, periviability-adjacent counselling, and structured handover. Includes assessor key and marking domains.
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Target exams
Station brief
Format. Emergency management station, approximately 12 minutes. You are the obstetric registrar in a regional hospital. A senior midwife and the special care nursery paediatrician are with you; the consultant is 20 minutes away and the neonatal retrieval service is a phone call. The assessor runs the clock and feeds you new findings.[2][7]
Candidate instruction. Lead the management of imminent extremely preterm breech birth outside a tertiary centre. Verbalise your actions, your drug orders with doses, your escalation triggers, your mode-of-birth reasoning, and what you say to the woman.[1][2]
References7ShowHide
- [1]Stock SJ, Thomson AJ, Papworth S, et al. Antenatal corticosteroids to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality: Green-top Guideline No. 74 BJOG, 2022.PMID 35172391
- [2]American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Practice Bulletin No. 171: Management of Preterm Labor Obstet Gynecol, 2016.PMID 27661654
- [3]Shepherd ES, Goldsmith S, Doyle LW, Middleton P, Marret S, et al. Magnesium sulphate for women at risk of preterm birth for neuroprotection of the fetus Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2024.PMID 38726883
- [4]Crowther CA, Hiller JE, Doyle LW, Haslam RR Effect of magnesium sulfate given for neuroprotection before preterm birth: a randomized controlled trial JAMA, 2003.PMID 14645308
- [5]Wilson A, Hodgetts-Morton VA, Marson EJ, Markland AD, Larkai E, et al. Tocolytics for delaying preterm birth: a network meta-analysis (0924) Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2022.PMID 35947046
- [6]Alfirevic Z, Milan SJ, Livio S Caesarean section versus vaginal delivery for preterm birth in singletons Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2013.PMID 24030708
- [7]Gordon HG, Shub A, Stewart MJ, Kane SC, Cheong JL, et al. In-utero transfer, survival-focused care and survival to 28-days at 22-24 weeks' gestation pre- and post- implementation of an extreme prematurity management guideline in Victoria, Australia BMJ Paediatr Open, 2024.PMID 39433430