A study of maternal morbidity associated with caesarean delivery in tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Cesarean section is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the world. Several studies have demonstrated that c/s poses a greater risk of maternal morbidity and mortality compared to vaginal delivery. Therefore, it is important to assess the morbidities associated with a c/s. Methods: A hospital based, cross sectional study was conducted among 240 women during the period of March-May 2014. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to evaluate the socio-demographic characteristics, obstetrical characteristics, indications and complications following c/s. Results: A total of 150 (62.5%) respondents underwent emergency c/s whereas 90 (37.5%) were having elective c/s. The most common indication for cesarean delivery was a previous c/s observed in 70 (29.2%). No postpartum morbidity was observed in 152 (63.3%) of the respondents, whereas 88 (36.7%) had reported some or other kinds of morbidities. Among the various maternal morbidities, postpartum anemia was the most commonly observed morbidity in 22 (9.2%) of the respondents, followed by postpartum hemorrhage by 10 (4.2%) and wound infection was observed in 15 (6.25%). Conclusions: High maternal morbidity following c/s was observed in studied sample as more than one third of the women had shown some or other kinds of morbidities. Efforts should be made to evaluate the reasons for increasing c/s rate and to reduce the incidence of c/s by careful antenatal and intranatal management.