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A cross‐sectional study exploring the incidence of and indications for second‐stage cesarean delivery over three decades
Author(s) -
Pearson Greg A.,
MacKenzie Ian Z.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/ijgo.12236
Subject(s) - medicine , cesarean delivery , incidence (geometry) , stage (stratigraphy) , obstetrics , apgar score , pregnancy , third stage , blood loss , blood transfusion , birth weight , surgery , paleontology , training (meteorology) , genetics , physics , meteorology , optics , biology
Objective To observe the incidence of, indications for, and complications associated with second‐stage cesarean delivery in 10‐year intervals over 30 years. Methods The present analysis of prospectively collected data compared cesarean deliveries during 1976, 1986, 1996, and 2006 at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, UK (n=3222). Pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal details were reviewed. Results The proportion of deliveries by cesarean in the second stage of labor increased from 0.5% (22/4464) in 1976 to 2.1% (124/5998) in 2006 ( P <0.001). The proportion of cesarean deliveries during the second stage because of failed instrumental delivery also increased over the study period from 59.1% (13/22) in 1976 to 71.0% (88/124) in 2006. Compared with cesareans at other stages, uterine trauma ( P <0.001), blood loss greater than 1000 mL ( P =0.002), and blood transfusion ( P =0.001) were more frequent in second‐stage cesarean delivery. Neonates delivered by second‐stage cesarean had lower Apgar scores ( P <0.001 for 1‐min and 5‐min scores) and cord arterial pH values ( P <0.001) than did those delivered by cesarean earlier in labor. A trend towards an increase in neonatal trauma with second‐stage cesarean compared with cesarean delivery before labor or during the first stage did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion The proportion of deliveries by cesarean in the second stage of labor increased; these deliveries were associated with greater maternal and neonatal morbidity, but were not influenced by the indication for cesarean.