Trends of caesarean sections at a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India

Sneha Badwe Dhodapkar; Neelima Singh Chauhan; Mary Daniel; Dheepa C

Volume : V, Issue : VI, June - 2015

Trends of caesarean sections at a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India

Sneha Badwe Dhodapkar, Neelima Singh Chauhan, Mary Daniel, Dheepa C

Abstract :

Background: The rising trend of caesarean sections (CS) is a major concern in health care system all over the world. Assessing the trends of CS and its major indications would be useful in adopting suitable measures to reduce the CS rate and the problems associated with it. Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry. Data were collected on caesarean delivery and indications from the medical records of women delivered over a 5–years period (January 2010 – December 2014). Results: A total of 5445 deliveries occurred during study period among them 31.2% were caesarean sections. The yearwise CS rates ranges from 29.6% to 32.6%. Since year 2011, a decreasing trend was observed for CS deliveries. Overall, 60.6 % of the section deliveries were primary CS. The primary CS rate was 16%–22% and repeat CS rate was 9%– 15%. Fetal distress, failure of progress of labour, cephalo–pelvic disproportion and mal–presentation were the major indicators for CS. The primary CS deliveries due to fetal distress showed a continuous increase from 39% during year 2010 to 54% during 2014. Conclusion: Although the CS deliveries are showing a decreasing trends but the decrease is minimal. There is need to address the increasing CS due to fetal distress.