Morbidity of caesarean delivery: a comparative study between early and advanced stages of labour in an Indian tertiary care center

Background: The aim was to compare the maternal and perinatal complications associated with caesarean sections performed in the early and advanced stage of labour. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 131 women with singleton term pregnancies who underwent emergency caesarean section. The study was done in a tertiary care teaching hospital in India. In this study advanced labour was defined as one with cervical dilatation 8 cm or more at the time of caesarean section. The primary outcome variables were a maternal composite morbidity and a neonatal composite morbidity. Categorical data were compared using chi square test or Fischer’s exact test. Results: 73 women (56%) underwent caesarean delivery in the early labour and 58(44%) in advanced labour. 12/73 (16.4%) patients in early stage of labour had at least one maternal complication (Composite maternal morbidity) compared to 18/58 (31%) women who had caesarean in advanced stage (p = 0.048). Seven patients out of 73 in the early labour and 14/58 in the advanced labour (p = 0.024) had at least one neonatal complication (Composite neonatal morbidity). Conclusions: The morbidity of primary caesarean sections done in the advanced stage of labour is associated with increased maternal and neonatal morbidity compared to that done in the early stage. A larger study will be needed to establish the inference. [Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol 2013; 2(4.000): 646-650]