Amniotic Fluid Thromboplastic Activity as an Index of Fetal Maturity — Preliminary Report

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Abstract
Summary: Based on the thromboplastic activity of amniotic fluid, a bedside test has been evaluated, whereby an amniotic fluid sample is added to a sample of the patient's blood and the accelerated clotting time (ACT) observed.In 11 patients (27 samples) studied serially in the last trimester, there was a decrease in ACT and, hence, an increase in thromboplastic activity, with increase in maturity.In a random series of 94 samples from 74 patients, an ACT of greater than 110 seconds usually indicated that the fetus was premature.Although the number of infants with respiratory distress was small, the ACT gave useful confirmatory information to the lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio which was studied in parallel.