A patient with PROM at 30 weeks without contractions should be evaluated for infection. Which assessment is most important?

A patient with PROM at 30 weeks without contractions should be evaluated for infection. Which assessment is most important?

• A. Temperature
• B. Blood glucose
• C. Weight
• D. Pain level

Answer: (A)

Ruptured membranes before term raises the risk of intra‑amniotic infection, so the most important assessment is maternal temperature. Fever is the most reliable and early sign of chorioamnionitis, signaling infection that can harm both mother and fetus and prompts prompt treatment with antibiotics and careful monitoring. The other options don’t directly indicate infection in this scenario: blood glucose isn’t related to infection risk here, weight isn’t an acute sign of infection, and while pain can reflect several processes, it’s not as specific or as actionable as fever in detecting intra‑amniotic infection.

Ruptured membranes before term raises the risk of intra‑amniotic infection, so the most important assessment is maternal temperature. Fever is the most reliable and early sign of chorioamnionitis, signaling infection that can harm both mother and fetus and prompts prompt treatment with antibiotics and careful monitoring. The other options don’t directly indicate infection in this scenario: blood glucose isn’t related to infection risk here, weight isn’t an acute sign of infection, and while pain can reflect several processes, it’s not as specific or as actionable as fever in detecting intra‑amniotic infection.