OBJECTIVE To examine maternal and obstetric factors influencing births by cesarean section according to health care funding. METHODS A cross-sectional study with data from Southeastern Brazil. Caesarean section births from February 2011 to July 2012 were included. Data were obtained from interviews with women whose care was publicly or privately funded, and from their obstetric and neonatal r...

BACKGROUND It is challenging to obtain high quality obstetric care in a sparsely populated area. In the subarctic region of Norway, significant distances, weather conditions and seasonable darkness have called for a decentralized care model. We aimed to explore the quality of this care. METHODS A retrospective study employing data (2009-11) from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway was initia...

BACKGROUND It is unclear whether having a Caesarean section results in fewer subsequent pregnancies with longer intervals between pregnancies, an effect which may impact on the reproductive performance of a population. Our aim was to determine the implications of a Caesarean section on the subsequent fecundity and interpregnancy interval. METHODS This is a cohort study. The obstetric follow-u...

Lung function was measured at 30 minutes and again at 2 hours after birth in 12 infants delivered vaginally, in 15 infants delivered by elective caesarean section under general anaesthesia (GA), and in 15 delivered under epidural anesthesia (EDA). Umbilical arterial blood was analysed for pH and for concentrations of catecholamines and cortisol. No important differences in gestational age, birt...

Introduction: Caesarean section has avoidable morbidity which may lead to mortality especially in developing world. Caesarean section is a major operation which should be performed with maximum care and safety. Objectives: This study aimed to find incidence, indications, procedures and maternal outcome of re-laparotomy after caesarean delivery. Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional pr...

BACKGROUND Birth cohort studies in some countries have shown a link between caesarean section and asthma. AIM To determine if there is an association between asthma and delivery via caesarean section in Malaysian children. METHOD This is a case-control study involving 156 children aged 3-15 years old, in a tertiary hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Seventy-eight children with a confirmed ...

DESIGN To study the association between mode of delivery and neonatal mortality in second twins. To study the association between caesarean delivery and mortality with minimum bias of the indication for the operation, we wanted to compare the outcome of second twins delivered by caesarean due to breech presentation of the sibling with vaginally delivered second twins in uncomplicated pregnancie...

BACKGROUND Anaesthesia guidelines recommend regional anaesthesia for most caesarean sections due to the risk of failed intubation and aspiration with general anaesthesia. However, general anaesthesia is considered to be safe for the foetus, based on limited evidence, and is still used for caesarean sections. METHODS Cohorts of caesarean sections by indication (that is, planned repeat caesarea...

BACKGROUND Latin America has a high rate of caesarean sections. We tested the hypothesis that a hospital policy of mandatory second opinion, based on the best existing scientific evidence, reduces the hospital caesarean section rate by 25%, without increasing maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. METHODS 36 hospitals in Argentina (18), Brazil (eight), Cuba (four), Guatemala (two), a...

There has been an increasing trend worldwide to use regional anaesthesia for operative deliveries. The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom has demonstrated a steady decline in the anaesthesia-related deaths since the introduction of regional anaesthesia. There are lower morbidity profiles in mothers delivering under regional anaesthesia as well as better infant Apgar...