The rate and perioperative mortality of caesarean section in Sierra Leone

IntroductionSierra Leone has the world’s highest maternal mortality, partly due to low access to caesarean section. Limited data are available to guide improvement. In this study, we aimed to analyse the rate and mortality of caesarean sections in the country.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of all caesarean sections and all reported in-facility maternal deaths in Sierra Leone in 2016. All facilities performing caesarean sections were visited. Data on in-facility maternal deaths were retrieved from the Maternal Death Surveillance and Response database. Caesarean section mortality was defined as in-facility perioperative mortality.ResultsIn 2016, there were 7357 caesarean sections in Sierra Leone. This yields a population rate of 2.9% of all live births, a 35% increase from 2012, with district rates ranging from 0.4% to 5.2%. The most common indications for surgery were obstructed labour (42%), hypertensive disorders (25%) and haemorrhage (22%). Ninety-nine deaths occurred during or after caesarean section, and the in-facility perioperative caesarean section mortality rate was 1.5% (median 0.7%, IQR 0–2.2). Haemorrhage was the leading cause of death (73%), and of those who died during or after surgery, 80% had general anaesthesia, 75% received blood transfusion and 22% had a uterine rupture diagnosed.ConclusionsThe caesarean section rate has increased rapidly in Sierra Leone, but the distribution remains uneven. Caesarean section mortality is high, but there is wide variation. More access to caesarean sections for maternal and neonatal complications is needed in underserved areas, and expansion should be coupled with efforts to limit late presentation, to offer assisted vaginal delivery when indicated and to ensure optimal perioperative care.

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Trends in caesarean section rates in a rural block of southern India

International Journal of Reproduction Contraception Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20183335 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (8) ◽

pp. 3305 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Divya Elizabeth Muliyil ◽

Manjunath K. ◽

Jasmin Helan ◽

Shantidani Minz ◽

Kuryan George ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mortality Rate ◽

Caesarean Section ◽

Perinatal Mortality ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Caesarean Section Rate ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Annual Rate ◽

Average Annual Rate ◽

Live Births ◽

Rate Of Increase

Background: Over the last decade many programmes have been implemented to improve the health of pregnant women and neonates. This study aims to look at the changes in modes of delivery and perinatal mortality rates in a rural block of Tamil Nadu between 2006 and 2015.Methods: Data on all the births that have occurred in this rural block of Tamil Nadu that has been prospectively collected between 2006 and 2015 was analysed. A longitudinal analysis was done to calculate the primary and overall caesarean section rate and the average annual rate of increase. The perinatal mortality rate was also calculated.Results: The primary LSCS rate has increased from 9.08% in 2005 to 16.1% in 2015. The overall caesarean section rate has increased from 11.7% to 19.2% in the same time with an average annual rate of increase of 5.1%. During this period the perinatal mortality has decreased from 33 per 1000 live births to 17 per 1000 live births.Conclusions: Though the overall caesarean section rate is higher than the 15% prescribed by WHO the rates are lower than the rest of the country and rural Tamil Nadu.

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Maternal caesarean section infection (MACSI) in Sierra Leone: a case–control study

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268820000370 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 148 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

F. Di Gennaro ◽

C. Marotta ◽

L. Pisani ◽

N. Veronese ◽

V. Pisani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Caesarean Section ◽

Sierra Leone ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Maternity Hospital ◽

Case Control ◽

Maternal Deaths ◽

Low Education ◽

Control Study

Abstract Sierra Leone is the country with highest maternal mortality and infections are the underlying cause in 11% of maternal deaths, but the real burden remains unknown. This study aims to determine the incidence and risk factors of surgical site infection (SSI) post-caesarean section (CS) in women admitted to Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH) in Freetown, Sierra Leone. A prospective case–control (1:3 ratio) study was implemented from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019 and 11 women presenting with suspected or confirmed infection post-CS were screened for inclusion as a case. For each case, three patients undergoing CS on the same day and admitted to the same ward, but not presenting with SSI, were selected as controls. The post-CS infection rate was 10.9%. Two hundred and fifty-four clinically confirmed cases were enrolled and matched with 762 control patients. By multivariable analysis, the risk factors for SSI were: being single (odds ratio (OR) 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36–1.66), low education level (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.55–1.84), previous CS (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.10–1.52), presenting with premature membranes rupture (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.18–1.88), a long decision–incision time (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.74–2.24) and a high missing post-CS antibiotic doses rate (OR 2.52, 95% CI 2.10–2.85).

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Association between maternal mortality and caesarean section in Ethiopia: A national cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-55945/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ayele Geleto Bali ◽

Catherine Chojenta ◽

Tefera Taddele ◽

Deborah Loxton

Keyword(s):

Caesarean Section ◽

Maternal Mortality ◽

Addis Ababa ◽

Caesarean Section Rate ◽

National Level ◽

Maternal Mortality Ratio ◽

P Value ◽

Inverse Association ◽

Live Births ◽

Significant Inverse Association

Abstract Background Several studies concluded that there is a reduction of maternal deaths with improved access to caesarean section, while other studies showed the existence of a direct association between the two variables. In Ethiopia, literature about the association between maternal mortality and caesarean section is scarce. This study was aimed to assess the association between maternal mortality ratios and caesarean section rates in hospitals in Ethiopia. Methods Analysis was done of a national maternal health dataset of 293 hospitals that accessed from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute. Hospital specific characteristics, maternal mortality ratios and caesarean section rates were described. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine the direction of association between maternal mortality ratios and caesarean section rate, taking regions into consideration. Presence of a linear association between these variables was declared statistically significant at p-value < 0.05. Results The overall maternal mortality ratio in Ethiopian hospitals was 149 (95% CI: 136–162) per 100,000 live births. There was significant regional variation in maternal mortality ratios, ranging from 74 (95% CI: 51–104) per 100,000 live births in Tigray region to 548 (95% CI: 251-1,037) in Afar region. The average annual caesarean section rate in hospitals was 20.3% (95% CI: 20.2–20.5). The highest caesarean section rate of 38.5% (95% CI: 38.1–38.9) was observed in Addis Ababa, while the lowest rate of 5.7% (95% CI: 5.2–6.2) occurred in Somali region. At national level, a statistically non-significant inverse association was observed between maternal mortality ratios and caesarean section rates. Similarly, unlike in other regions, there were inverse associations between maternal mortality ratios and caesarean section rates in Addis Ababa, Afar Oromia and Somali, although associations were not statistically significant. Conclusions At national level, a statistically non-significant inverse association was observed between maternal mortality ratios and caesarean section rates in hospitals, although there were regional variations. Additional studies with a stronger design should be conducted to assess the association between population-based maternal mortality ratios and caesarean section rates.

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OPTIMIZING CLINICAL APPROACH TO THE FORM OF DELIVERY DURING PREGNANCY IN PATIENTS WITH CARDIAC DISEASE; A REVIEW OF THE EFFECTS OF PRACTICE CHANGE BY CONCURRING TO INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES

Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal ◽

10.51253/pafmj.v71isuppl-1.6201 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 71 (Suppl-1) ◽

pp. S92-96

Author(s):

Adiba Akhtar Khalil ◽

Khurram Akhtar

Keyword(s):

Caesarean Section ◽

Maternal Mortality ◽

Cardiac Disease ◽

Caesarean Section Rate ◽

Mode Of Delivery ◽

Practice Change ◽

Cardiac Patients ◽

Clinical Approach ◽

Maternal Deaths ◽

International Guidelines

Objective: To assess if adherence to international guidelines for pregnant cardiac patients’ mode of delivery is achievable with available local resources. Study Design: Prospective quasi experimental descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: All Pregnant patients with cardiac disease reporting to Armed Forces Institute of Cardiac Disease/National Institute of Heart Disease (AFIC/NIHD) who were admitted for and were delivered from Oct 2009 to Sep 2011 were included in the study. Methodology: International guidelines and recommendations for mode of delivery for cardiac patients with pregnancy were followed for patients. Caesarean sections were reserved only for obstetrical reasons and absolute cardiac indications. The patients with first trimester miscarriage were not included. Data was collected on a personal computer Microsoft excel sheet. Frequency was calculated from the data entered. The reduction in caesarean section rate and increase in vaginal delivery rate as per guidelines without an increase in maternal mortality, was the main outcome. Results: Total of 221 patients were delivered in the 2 year period between October 2009 to September 2011 at AFIC/NIHD. The caesarean section rate the year before 2008-2009 had been 48.6%. After the change in practice by concurring to international guidelines, the caesarean section rate for the 2 year period dropped to 26.7%. The hospital maternal deaths were 5. This was slightly better to the year 2008-2009 which had 3 maternal deaths. Conclusion: It’s possible to adhere to international recommendations and protocols for pregnant cardiac patients and achieve internationally comparable outcome in terms of mode of delivery without increasing current institutional maternal mortality rate with local hospital resources.

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Continued versus discontinued oxytocin stimulation in the active phase of labour (CONDISOX): double blind randomised controlled trial

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.n716 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. n716

Author(s):

Sidsel Boie ◽

Julie Glavind ◽

Niels Uldbjerg ◽

Philip J Steer ◽

Pinar Bor

Keyword(s):

Caesarean Section ◽

Fetal Heart Rate ◽

Fetal Heart ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Caesarean Section Rate ◽

Active Phase ◽

Double Blind ◽

Oxytocin Infusion ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

Reduced Risk

Abstract Objective To determine whether discontinuing oxytocin stimulation in the active phase of induced labour is associated with lower caesarean section rates. Design International multicentre, double blind, randomised controlled trial. Setting Nine hospitals in Denmark and one in the Netherlands between 8 April 2016 and 30 June 2020. Participants 1200 women stimulated with intravenous oxytocin infusion during the latent phase of induced labour. Intervention Women were randomly assigned to have their oxytocin stimulation discontinued or continued in the active phase of labour. Main outcome measure Delivery by caesarean section. Results A total of 607 women were assigned to discontinuation and 593 to continuation of the oxytocin infusion. The rates of caesarean section were 16.6% (n=101) in the discontinued group and 14.2% (n=84) in the continued group (relative risk 1.17, 95% confidence interval 0.90 to 1.53). In 94 parous women with no previous caesarean section, the caesarean section rate was 7.5% (11/147) in the discontinued group and 0.6% (1/155) in the continued group (relative risk 11.6, 1.15 to 88.7). Discontinuation was associated with longer duration of labour (median from randomisation to delivery 282 v 201 min; P<0.001), a reduced risk of hyperstimulation (20/546 (3.7%) v 70/541 (12.9%); P<0.001), and a reduced risk of fetal heart rate abnormalities (153/548 (27.9%) v 219/537 (40.8%); P<0.001) but rates of other adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes were similar between groups. Conclusions In a setting where monitoring of the fetal condition and the uterine contractions can be guaranteed, routine discontinuation of oxytocin stimulation may lead to a small increase in caesarean section rate but a significantly reduced risk of uterine hyperstimulation and abnormal fetal heart rate patterns. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02553226 .

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Maternal mortality in six low and lower-middle income countries from 2010 to 2018: risk factors and trends

Reproductive Health ◽

10.1186/s12978-020-00990-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (S3) ◽

Author(s):

Melissa Bauserman ◽

Vanessa R. Thorsten ◽

Tracy L. Nolen ◽

Jackie Patterson ◽

Adrien Lokangaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Maternal Mortality ◽

Maternal Deaths ◽

Middle Income ◽

Maternal Risk ◽

Live Births ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Risk Of Death ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Over Time

Abstract Background Maternal mortality is a public health problem that disproportionately affects low and lower-middle income countries (LMICs). Appropriate data sources are lacking to effectively track maternal mortality and monitor changes in this health indicator over time. Methods We analyzed data from women enrolled in the NICHD Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research Maternal Newborn Health Registry (MNHR) from 2010 through 2018. Women delivering within research sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, India (Nagpur and Belagavi), Kenya, Pakistan, and Zambia are included. We evaluated maternal and delivery characteristics using log-binomial models and multivariable models to obtain relative risk estimates for mortality. We used running averages to track maternal mortality ratio (MMR, maternal deaths per 100,000 live births) over time. Results We evaluated 571,321 pregnancies and 842 maternal deaths. We observed an MMR of 157 / 100,000 live births (95% CI 147, 167) across all sites, with a range of MMRs from 97 (76, 118) in the Guatemala site to 327 (293, 361) in the Pakistan site. When adjusted for maternal risk factors, risks of maternal mortality were higher with maternal age > 35 (RR 1.43 (1.06, 1.92)), no maternal education (RR 3.40 (2.08, 5.55)), lower education (RR 2.46 (1.54, 3.94)), nulliparity (RR 1.24 (1.01, 1.52)) and parity > 2 (RR 1.48 (1.15, 1.89)). Increased risk of maternal mortality was also associated with occurrence of obstructed labor (RR 1.58 (1.14, 2.19)), severe antepartum hemorrhage (RR 2.59 (1.83, 3.66)) and hypertensive disorders (RR 6.87 (5.05, 9.34)). Before and after adjusting for other characteristics, physician attendance at delivery, delivery in hospital and Caesarean delivery were associated with increased risk. We observed variable changes over time in the MMR within sites. Conclusions The MNHR is a useful tool for tracking MMRs in these LMICs. We identified maternal and delivery characteristics associated with increased risk of death, some might be confounded by indication. Despite declines in MMR in some sites, all sites had an MMR higher than the Sustainable Development Goals target of below 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. Trial registration The MNHR is registered at NCT01073475.

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Bayes Theorem and Protopathic Bias: Methodological Concerns When Addressing the Impact of Fetal Heart Rate Patterns on the Cesarean Section Rate

American Journal of Perinatology Reports ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1713786 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (03) ◽

pp. e342-e345

Author(s):

Jacques Balayla ◽

Ariane Lasry ◽

Yaron Gil ◽

Alexander Volodarsky-Perel

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Caesarean Section ◽

Fetal Heart Rate ◽

Predictive Power ◽

Fetal Heart ◽

Caesarean Section Rate ◽

Bayes Theorem ◽

The Poor ◽

Clinical Scenarios ◽

The Impact

AbstractOver the last 30 years, the caesarean section rate has reached global epidemic proportions. This trend is driven by multiple factors, an important one of which is the use and inconsistent interpretation of the electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) system. Despite its introduction in the 1960s, the EFM has not definitively improved neonatal outcomes, yet it has since significantly contributed to a seven-fold increase in the caesarean section rate. As we attempt to reduce the caesarean rates in the developed world, we should consider focusing on areas that have garnered little attention in the literature, such as physician sensitization to the poor predictive power of the EFM and the research method biases that are involved in studying the abnormal heart rate patterns—umbilical cord pH relationship. Herein, we apply Bayes theorem to different clinical scenarios to illustrate the poor predictive power of the EFM, as well as shed light on the principle of protopathic bias, which affects the classification of research outcomes among studies addressing the effects of the EFM on caesarean rates. We propose and discuss potential solutions to the aforementioned considerations, which include the re-examination of guidelines with which we interpret fetal heart rate patterns and the development of noninvasive technologies that evaluate fetal pH in real time.

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Caesarean section performed by medical doctors and associate clinicians in Sierra Leone

British Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1002/bjs.11076 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 106 (2) ◽

pp. e129-e137 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

A. J. van Duinen ◽

M. M. Kamara ◽

L. Hagander ◽

T. Ashley ◽

A. P. Koroma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Caesarean Section ◽

Sierra Leone ◽

Medical Doctors

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Prevention of Hypotension following Spinal Anaesthesia in Caesarean Section - then and now

Kathmandu University Medical Journal ◽

10.3126/kumj.v8i4.6242 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 415-419

Author(s):

J K Mitra

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

High Risk ◽

Caesarean Section ◽

Spinal Anaesthesia ◽

Limited Data ◽

First Line ◽

High Risk Patients ◽

Risk Patients ◽

Poor Efficacy

Hypotension during spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section remains a common scenario in our clinical practice. Certain risk factors play a role in altering the incidence of hypotension. Aortocaval compression counteraction does not help to prevent hypotension. Intravenous crystalloid prehydration has poor efficacy; thus, the focus has changed toward co-hydration and use of colloids. Phenylephrine is established as a first- line vasopressor, although there are limited data from high-risk patients. Ephedrine crosses the placenta more than phenylephrine and cause possible alterations in the foetal physiology.http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/kumj.v8i4.6242 Kathmandu Univ Med J 2010;8(4):415-19

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