Clinical Profile of Babies Born by Caesarean Section in Tertiary Centre

Abstract

Background: Cesarean section is the surgical intervention in case of serious delivery complications and has been life-saving for a long period. The current study aimed to analyze the various indications of cesarean delivery over a period of 4 years. To evaluate the maternal and fetal outcomes between elective and emergency cesarean section

Methods: The demographic profile of the mothers was included in the study which included maternal history, age, obstetric history, and indications for Caesarean section, which was recorded on the proforma. At birth, the profile of the infants including gender, birth weight, gestational age, vitals, and APGAR score was recorded in the Caesarean operation theatre. The evaluation of newborns followed the guidelines from the neonatal resuscitation program. The neonates who did not need medical intervention were transferred for standard maternal care along with early breastfeeding initiation but those needing resuscitation received instant treatment.

Results: Emergency CS had lower mean APGAR scores (1st min: 7.87±2.10, 5th min: 8.51±2.12) than elective CS (1st min: 8.21±1.42, 5th min: 8.86±1.39). Most babies (72.03%) weighed 2.5-3.499 kg. Gestational age was mainly 37-42 weeks (71.05%). Primigravida mothers were the majority (41.5%), with most aged 21-25 (52.8%). Emergency CS (80.26%) was more common than elective CS (19.74%). The male-to-female ratio was 1.05:1. Neonatal complications were higher in emergency CS (14.76%) than in elective CS (7.9%) (P<0.01). Mean birth weights and gender distribution showed no statistical difference.

Conclusion: The incidence of cesarean sections was 26.46%. The incidence of emergency CS was 80.26%, compared with 19.74% for elective CS. The sex distribution of babies born through the cesarean section was found to be almost equally distributed among male and female neonates. The majority of the babies were full-term and weighed between 2.500 – 3.499 kgs. The majority of mothers were primigravidas and between 21-25 years of age. Fetal distress was the most common indication for emergency CS and ‘previous LSCS’ in elective CS cases.

Keywords: Emergency cesarean sections, Elective cesarean section (CS), Neonatal outcome, APGAR scores.