The FDA reviewed these devices through its premarket clearance pathway and concurred with the manufacturersвЂ™ labeling recommendations warning providers to not use these tests independently. The FDA has received information that indicates healthcare providers may be relying solely on ROM test results when making critical patient management decisions, despite manufacturersвЂ™ labeling instructions that ROM tests should not be used on their own to independently assess whether a ROM has occurred. ROM tests are point of care tests that provide on-site information to providers. Healthcare providers use ROM tests to aid in diagnosing ruptured membranes in pregnant women through analysis of vaginal secretions. However, if ROM occurs prior to the onset of labor, it can cause an increased risk of infection and injury to the fetus and the pregnant woman. The ROM is a normal occurrence once a woman is in labor. We urge healthcare providers to carefully follow the labeled instructions for use on these tests.вЂќДЄ ROM is when the amniotic membranes, in which the fetus develops, breaks. We will continue to monitor adverse events regarding these tests and will communicate further if there is additional information that will benefit women and their healthcare providers.

We are committed to streamlining and modernizing how we implement postmarket actions to address device safety issues to better protect the Americans who rely on us. This is another example of our recently released Medical Device Safety Action Plan in practice. вЂњOur review of the risks associated with improper use of these ROM tests is ongoing, but we want to be transparent with providers and patients about the information that we have indicating an issue, and provide recommendations to minimize the risks. This is especially pertinent in this case, where we are dealing with a potential risk to the safety and well-being of pregnant women and their fetuses,вЂќ said Courtney Lias, Ph.D., director, Division of Chemistry and Toxicology Devices in the FDAвЂ™s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Sometimes this includes alerting healthcare providers and the public regarding the potential safety issues that can arise when providers are not using devices as they are intended.

вЂњOur most fundamental obligation to the American public is providing patients with access to safe and effective medical products. These tests have only been cleared for marketing by the FDA to be used by healthcare providers in conjunction with other clinical assessments to make critical patient management decisions regarding whether a ROM has occurred. A rupture of the membranes (ROM) can pose immediate and severe risks to the patient and developing fetus without proper patient management and timely intervention.ДЄs part of the agencyвЂ™s commitment to transparency in notifying the public about potential public health concerns, the FDA issued a Letter to Health Care ProvidersВ to remind providers that the labeling for these tests specifies that they should not be used on their own to independently diagnose a ROM in pregnant women. Food and Drug Administration today alerted women and their doctors about serious adverse events related to the improper use of tests intended as an aid in detecting if a pregnant womanвЂ™s water has broken (also known as a rupture of the membranes containing amniotic fluid).

9, 2018 to correctly reflect the number of fetal death reports received by the agency.

Amniotic fluid test strips