Cesarean birth in the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research: trends in utilization, risk factors, and subgroups with high cesarean birth rates

Effectiveness of preoperative multimedia educational sessions on the levels of anxiety and satisfaction among women undergoing cesarean: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the effectiveness of preoperative multimedia educational sessions on the levels of anxiety and satisfaction among women undergoing cesarean section (CS). The Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane databases were searched without language limitations for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from their inception up to October 15, 2023. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted, and the quality of this meta-analysis was evaluated using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach. Seven RCTs (n = 1006 women) met the inclusion criteria. Preoperative multimedia sessions were found to significantly reduce anxiety levels (n = 6 RCTs, weighted mean difference: -3.10; 95 percent confidence intervals (CI): -4.48, -1.73; I2 = 44.24 percent, moderate certainty of evidence) compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding women's satisfaction after surgery (n = 5 RCTs, risk ratio: 1.37; 95 percent CI: 0.76, 2.50; I2 = 98.26 percent, moderate certainty of evidence). Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis showed robustness of the outcomes. The findings of this meta-analysis suggest that providing multimedia educational programs before surgery could potentially have a beneficial effect on the levels of anxiety experienced by women undergoing CS. However, it is imperative to validate these results through larger samples and multi-centered RCTs.

An Analysis of the Mode of Delivery, Risk Factors, and Subgroups with High Caesarean Birth Rates Using Robson Classification System

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to understand the utilization of the mode of delivery and related risk factors. Further aimed to apply the Robson classification system to evaluate the data quality and analyze the CS rates in subgroups.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective descriptive study by reviewing the medical records of all women who delivered at the State Hospital in 2019. A proforma was developed for extracting data from patient records. All women with six obstetric parameters were categorized into Robson groups to determine the absolute and relative contributions of each group to the overall CS rate.

RESULTS

Of 797 deliveries, 401 (50.2%) were CSs. Being older, being Turkish Cypriot, having preterm births, previous CS, multiple fetuses, and having breech or transverse fetal presentations were related to having higher risks of CS. The most common medical indication for CSs (52.3%) was a history of previous CSs. Robson Group 5 contributed the most (50.7%) to the overall CS rate, with the highest absolute contribution of 21.8%. Group 10 and Group 8 were the second and third highest contributors to the overall CS rate, with relative contributions of 25.3% and 9.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings revealed the substandard quality of obstetric data and a noticeably high overall CS rate. The top priority should be given to improving the quality of medical records. It underscored the necessity of implementing the Robson classification system as a standard clinical practice to enhance data quality, which helps to effectively evaluate and monitor the CS rates in obstetric populations.

Maternal and perinatal outcomes of women with vaginal birth after cesarean section compared to repeat cesarean birth in select South Asian and Latin American settings of the global network for women's and children's health research

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to analyze a prospective population-based registry including five sites in four low- and middle-income countries to observe characteristics associated with vaginal birth after cesarean versus repeat cesarean birth, as well as maternal and newborn outcomes associated with the mode of birth among women with a history of prior cesarean.

HYPOTHESIS

Maternal and perinatal outcomes among vaginal birth after cesarean section will be similar to those among recurrent cesarean birth.

METHODS

A prospective population-based study, including home and facility births among women enrolled from 2017 to 2020, was performed in communities in Guatemala, India (Belagavi and Nagpur), Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Women were enrolled during pregnancy, and delivery outcome data were collected within 42 days after birth.

RESULTS

We analyzed 8267 women with a history of prior cesarean birth; 1389 (16.8%) experienced vaginal birth after cesarean, and 6878 (83.2%) delivered by a repeat cesarean birth. Having a repeat cesarean birth was negatively associated with a need for curettage (ARR 0.12 [0.06, 0.25]) but was positively associated with having a blood transfusion (ARR 3.74 [2.48, 5.63]). Having a repeat cesarean birth was negatively associated with stillbirth (ARR 0.24 [0.15, 0.49]) and, breast-feeding within an hour of birth (ARR 0.39 [0.30, 0.50]), but positively associated with use of antibiotics (ARR 1.51 [1.20, 1.91]).

CONCLUSIONS

In select South Asian and Latin American low- and middle-income sites, women with a history of prior cesarean birth were 5 times more likely to deliver by cesarean birth in the hospital setting. Those who delivered vaginally had less complicated pregnancy and labor courses compared to those who delivered by repeat cesarean birth, but they had an increased risk of stillbirth. More large scale studies are needed in Low Income Country settings to give stronger recommendations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT01073475, Registered February 21, 2010, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT01073475 .

A mobile cesarean birth center as a solution to improve access to surgical birth in rural Ethiopia: a mixed methods research protocol

BACKGROUND

As an evidence-based intervention to prevent maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, cesarean birth at rates of under 2%, which is the case in rural Southwest Ethiopia, is an unacceptable public health problem and represents an important disparity in the use of this life-saving treatment compared to more developed regions. The objective of this study is to explore an innovative clinical solution (a mobile cesarean birth center) to low cesarean birth rates resulting from the Three Delays to emergency obstetric care in isolated and underserved regions of Ethiopia, and the world.

METHODS

We will use mixed but primarily qualitative methods to explore and prepare the mobile cesarean birth center for subsequent implementation in communities in Bench Sheko and West Omo Zones. This will involve interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders and retreat settings for user-centered design activities. We will present stakeholders with a prototype surgical truck that will help them conceive of the cesarean birth center concept and discuss implementation issues related to staffing, supplies, referral patterns, pre- and post-operative care, and relationship to locations for vaginal birth.

DISCUSSION

Completion of our study aims will allow us to describe participants' perceptions about barriers and facilitators to cesarean birth and their attitudes regarding the appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility of a mobile cesarean birth center as a solution. It will also result in a specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely (SMART) implementation blueprint(s), with implementation strategies defined, as well as recruitment plans identified. This will include the development of a logic model and process map, a timeline for implementation with strategies selected that will guide implementation, and additional adaptation/adjustment of the mobile center to ensure fit for the communities of interest.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

There is no healthcare intervention on human participants occurring as part of this research, so the study has not been registered.

The association of timing of repeat cesarean with outcomes among a cohort of Guatemalan women with a history of prior cesarean birth

Background

The objective of this analysis was to observe whether maternal and perinatal/neonatal outcomes of birth vary by timing of repeat cesarean among women with a history of one prior cesarean birth in a Guatemalan cohort.

Methods

This secondary analysis was conducted using data from a prospective study conducted in communities in Chimaltenango, Guatemala through the Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research.

Results

Between January 2017 and April 2020, 26,465 women delivered; 3,143 (11.9%) of those women had a singleton gestation and a history of prior cesarean delivery. 2,210 (79.9%) women with a history of prior cesarean birth had data available on mode of delivery and gave birth by repeat cesarean; 1312 (59.4%) were pre-labor cesareans while 896 (40.5%) were intrapartum cesarean births. Risk factors associated with an increased risk of intrapartum cesarean birth included hospital delivery as compared to “other” location (ARR 1.6 [1.2,2.1]) and dysfunctional labor (ARR 1.6 [1.4,1.9]). Variables associated with a reduced risk of intrapartum cesarean birth were hypertensive disease (ARR 0.7 [0.6,0.9]), schooling (ARR 0.9 [0.8,0.9]), and increasing age, which was associated with a very slight reduction in the outcome (ARR 0.99 [0.98,0.99]). Maternal and neonatal outcomes did not vary by type of cesarean birth.

Conclusion

Outcomes of cesarean birth do not seem to vary by timing of repeat cesarean birth, with hypertensive disease increasing the likelihood of pre-labor cesarean. This information might be useful in counseling women that outcomes after failed trial of labor do not appear worse than those after pre-labor cesarean birth.

Mode of Delivery Among Women with a History of Prior Cesarean Birth at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to observe mode of delivery among women with a history of prior cesarean birth.

Methods:

After collecting data on a convenience sample of 1,000 women giving birth at 28 weeks gestation or greater at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, we reduced the sample to only include women with a history of prior cesarean birth. We wanted to observe mode of delivery among this cohort and determine if any characteristics were associated with elective repeat cesarean birth, as compared to vaginal birth after cesarean.

Results:

Of 1,000 women in our convenience sample, data on history of prior cesarean birth was missing on 2 women (0.2%). Of the remaining women, 49 (4.9%) reported a history of prior cesarean; 44 (89.8%) reported one prior cesarean and 5 (10.2%) women had two prior cesarean births. Repeat cesarean birth occurred in 65.1% (n = 29/44) of women with one prior cesarean and in 80.0% (n = 4/5) of women with two prior surgeries. Among the total cohort of women with a history of prior cesarean birth, of those who experienced repeat cesarean birth (n = 33), 27.3% (n = 9) occurred pre-labor, 69.7% (n = 23) occurred intrapartum after the onset of spontaneous labor, and 3.0% (n = 1) occurred intrapartum during the course of an induced or augmented labor. Labor onset and cervical exam on admission were statistically significantly different in bivariate comparisons of women who successfully achieved vaginal birth after cesarean as compared to those who gave birth by repeat cesarean birth, and postpartum maternal antibiotics were more common after repeat cesarean birth, p < 0.05. In a multivariable model of factors associated with successful vaginal birth after cesarean, the likelihood of successful vaginal birth was increased 15% for each increasing centimeter of dilation on a woman’s admission cervical exam (RR 1.15, p= 0.004).

Conclusion:

Almost one-third of women in our observational cohort attempted trial of labor after cesarean; those that were successful were more likely to have been more cervically dilated on their admission exam. No sociodemographic or obstetrical characteristics were more likely among women who underwent pre-labor repeat cesarean birth as compared to intrapartum cesarean birth.