Expectant management of abruptio placentae before 35 weeks gestation.

Forty-three patients with abruptio placentae before 35 weeks of pregnancy were managed expectantly with observation or with tocolytic therapy when contractions were present. Mean time to delivery was 12.4 days. Twenty-three patients were delivered within 1 week of admission. In the remaining 20 patients, the mean time to delivery was 26.8 days. There were no intrauterine deaths. In properly selected patients with preterm gestation and low-grade abruptio it is reasonable to defer delivery. These patients must be followed closely with antepartum fetal heart rate monitoring, serial hematologic and coagulation profiles, and serial sonograms when indicated.