Evaluation of fetal fibronectin for threatened preterm labour in reducing inappropriate interventions

Background: Preterm birth is associated with significant perinatal morbidity and mortality. The fetal fibronectin test (fFN) is used to manage women presenting with threatened preterm labour (TPTL). Aim: To evaluate the use of fFN in women presenting with TPTL with regard to hospital admission, tertiary hospital transfer and use of tocolytics and steroids in our hospital, against recommended guidelines. The ability of fFN 200\ua0ng/mL to predict outcome was also examined. Material and Methods: This was a single-centre retrospective study from January 2015 to June 2017. All women who presented to Ipswich hospital, a level two facility for births at >32\ua0weeks of gestation, between 23 and 34\ua0weeks of gestation with TPTL and who had fFN tests were included in the study. Results: Fetal fibronecti