The current management of vaginal birth after previous caesarean delivery

Monitoring and interventions are needed to reduce the very high Caesarean section rates in Vietnam

AIM

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Caesarean sections in the third largest city in Vietnam and identify the associated risk factors.

METHODS

This descriptive study was conducted in Da Nang from April 2015 to March 2016 and the hospital-based sample comprised 20 535 women who delivered during this period. Caesarean section cases were categorised into private and public hospitals and groups of primiparous and multiparous women.

RESULTS

We recruited 10 of the 12 hospitals in the City and they covered 90% of births during the study period. The overall Caesarean section rate was 58.6%: 57.9% in public hospitals and 70.6% in private hospitals. The three main indications for Caesarean sections were previous Caesarean sections, cephalopelvic disproportion and foetal distress. The factors that increased the likelihood of Caesarean sections were the mother being over 30, having an office job, a history of abortions, having a male infant and a higher neonatal birth weight.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrated an extremely high rate of Caesarean section and associated factors in public and private hospitals in one of the biggest cities in Vietnam. The findings highlight the need for monitoring and interventions to reduce the Caesarean section rates.

Obstetric factors for unsuccessful trial of labor in second-order birth following previous cesarean

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The trial of labor after previous cesarean (TOLAC) is an important strategy to limit repeat cesarean sections and their complications. An unsuccessful TOLAC leads to maternal and neonatal morbidities. The success or failure of TOLAC after the first cesarean is determinant for the subsequent vaginal birth. Limited studies are available from low-income countries, exclusively conducted in women in their sec.ond-order birth following the first cesarean section. This study aims at determining the frequency of unsuccessful attempts at vaginal delivery in the second-order term (37-41+6/7 weeks) birth among women with previous cesarean sections and to describe maternal and obstetric factors for unsuccessful laborTOLACs in the same group.

DESIGN AND SETTINGS

A cross-sectional study conducted from April to December 2010 at Obstetrics & Gynaecology Unit II, Civil Hospital Karachi.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All eligible patients at term pregnancy in their second-order birth were included. The frequency of unsuccessful attempts at vaginal birth was determined, followed by secondary analysis by calculating odds ratio for maternal and obstetric factors, that is, body mass index (BMI), hight, gestation ≥40 weeks, interdelivery interval, engagement of head in 5th, estimated fetal weight, ruptured membranes, duration of labor ≥7 hours, augmentation of labor, cervical dilatation < 4 cm, and vertex station -2 or higher on admission.

RESULTS

Out of 122 study subjects, the proportion of unsuccessful vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) was 27.9% (n=34). Among maternal and obstetric factors, BMI > 25 (AOR, 5.00), gestation ≥40 weeks (AOR, 5.45), cervical dilatation < 4 cm (AOR, 5.90), and station of vertex -2 or higher (AOR, 3.83) had highly significant adjusted odds for failed TOLAC.

CONCLUSION

With a well-defined protocol, the rates of unsuccessful attempts at VBAC are not high for the second-order birth. The risk of failure can be anticipated by factors such as BMI > 25, pregnancy duration ≥40 weeks, cervical dilatation < 4 cm, and vertex station -2 or higher on admission.