Pregnant Patients with a Documented History of Penicillin Allergy and Associated Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes at a Tertiary Care Center

Abstract

Objective Pregnant individuals are likely to need antibiotics during the peripartum period. For pregnant individuals who report a history of penicillin allergy, non-β-lactam antibiotics are often administered. Compared with first-line β-lactam antibiotics, alternative antibiotics can be less effective, more toxic, and more costly. It remains unclear if being labeled with a penicillin allergy is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Study Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all pregnant patients who delivered a viable singleton between 24 and 42 weeks of gestation at a large academic hospital from 2013 to 2021. We compared patients who had a documented penicillin allergy history in their electronic medical record versus those who did not and examined whether there were significant differences in maternal outcomes and neonatal outcomes. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were performed.

Results Of 41,943 eligible deliveries included in the analysis, 4,705 (11.2%) patients had a penicillin allergy history documented in their electronic medical record and 37,238 (88.8%) did not. Even after adjusting for potential confounders, patients with a documented penicillin allergy had a higher risk of postpartum endometritis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–2.11) and a higher risk of their neonates having a postnatal hospital stay lasting more than 72 hours (aOR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.02–1.18). There were no significant differences seen in the other maternal and neonatal outcomes in both bivariable and multivariable analyses.

Conclusion Pregnant patients who are labeled as having a penicillin allergy are more likely to have postpartum endometritis, and neonates born to mothers who are labeled as having a penicillin allergy are more likely to have a postnatal hospital stay lasting more than 72 hours. There were no other significant differences seen in pregnant patients and their newborns whether they were labeled as having a penicillin allergy history or not. However, pregnant individuals with a penicillin allergy documented in their medical record were significantly more likely to receive alternative non-β lactam antibiotics, and may have benefitted from having more details of their allergy history available as well as proper allergy verification with testing.

Key Points

• It is unclear whether pregnant individuals labeled with penicillin allergies have worse obstetric outcomes.

• These individuals were significantly more likely to have endometritis and their newborns hospitalized for >72 hours.

• They were significantly more likely to receive alternative non-β lactam antibiotics than those without documented allergies.

Keywords

penicillin allergy - pregnancy - β-lactam antibiotics - cesarean delivery - chorioamnionitis - endometritis

Publication History

Received: 26 June 2022

Accepted: 19 May 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
21 May 2023

Article published online:
19 June 2023

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