Mode of birth (MOB), differentiated as either spontaneous vaginal, instrument vaginal, or cesarean (emergency or planned), has the potential to have lasting repercussions for the infant, as well as the mother – which then can also affect the newborn. A woman’s postpartum lack of mobility (as in the case of cesarean birth, or epidural usage) and/or pain can affect her ability to care for her inf...

OBJECTIVE To assess the contribution of nonphysician clinicians (NPCs) to comprehensive emergency obstetric care (CEmOC) in Tigray, Ethiopia. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of the obstetric records of all women treated from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2008, at the 11 hospitals and 2 health centers with CEmOC status in Tigray. Data were collected using 2 questionnaires, one c...

Background: The indications for cesarean sections have been undergoing a gradual change over the last few decades. Besides the obstetric causes, several other medical, social, ethical, economic and medico legal factors play a role in this rising trend of cesarean section. Initially it was performed mainly for maternal interest but recently the health of the fetus has played a significant role i...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to review incidence, indications, complications, and the anesthetic management of emergency obstetric hysterectomies. METHODS This was a retrospective study of the cases of emergency obstetric hysterectomies performed at the Woman's Hospital over a 3 year period between January 2008 and December 2010. The indication for surgery, anesthetic management, ...

Infective endocarditis during pregnancy is uncommon but very serious. A 31-year-old woman in the 36th week of second pregnancy was admitted to a hospital because of fever, weakness, chest pain, painful skin over her right leg and dyspnea. Transthoracic echocardiography showed aortic valve vegetation and severe aortic regurgitation. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a 18 mmx6 mm mobile v...

Von Willebrand's disease is the most common hereditary coagulation disorder in young women. This report aimed at describing the case of obese patient with von Willebrand's disease scheduled for cesarean section. We report the case of an obese patient, 26 years old, with von Willebrand's disease, admitted to the emergency room in early labor. Cesarean section was indicated because the baby shows...

BACKGROUND The decrease in the percentage of patients having cesarean delivery during general anesthesia has led some educators to advocate the increased use of simulation-based training for this anesthetic. The authors developed a scoring system to measure resident performance of this anesthetic on the human patient simulator and subjected the system to tests of validity and reliability. MET...

AIM The effect of prenatal mental health on the risk of obstetric interventions is unclear. The present study examined the associations between depressive and anxiety symptoms in the second and third trimesters and mode of delivery, epidural use and labor induction in a large community-based pregnancy cohort, in Alberta, Canada. MATERIAL AND METHODS Women who had singleton pregnancies, delive...