Management trend and safety of vaginal delivery for term breech fetuses in a tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan

Document Type

Article

Department

Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Abstract

AIM: To investigate the safety of vaginal delivery for term breech fetuses in a tertiary-care hospital of Pakistan.Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all live singleton breech deliveries at or beyond 37 weeks of gestation, at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from January 1988 to December 1995.Results: Rate of cesarean section increased from 48% (1988) to 74% (1995). Out of 287 subjects, 158 underwent elective cesarean section while 129 received a trial of labor, 77% of which delivered vaginally. There was no neonatal or maternal death. Compared to babies delivered by emergency or elective cesarean section, those delivered vaginally had significantly more neonatal intensive-care unit admissions (none and 5% versus 13%) and higher rates of birth trauma (none and 0.6% versus 7%). However, there was no significant difference in the Apgar score at 5 minutes and the risk of maternal complications by delivery mode.CONCLUSION: Allowing trial of labor to carefully selected mothers can result in vaginal delivery in 77% of the cases. However, the risk of trauma and neonatal intensive-care unit admissions, among vaginal births may favor the decision of elective cesarean section, unless rigorous pre-delivery assessment and conduct of delivery by adequately trained obstetricians is performed.

Publication (Name of Journal)

Journal of Perinatal Medicine

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