Obstetric fistula in India: current scenario.

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Public Health
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• India faces a significant data gap regarding the prevalence and incidence of obstetric fistula.
• Obstetric fistula is a critical indicator of near-miss maternal mortality, demanding focused attention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the characteristics and outcomes of obstetric fistula cases in India.
• To identify the primary causes and types of obstetric fistulae.
• To assess the success rates of surgical repair for obstetric fistulae.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of hospital records from 24 tertiary care facilities in India.
• Data collection spanned from 2000 to 2006, focusing on women undergoing genital fistula repair.
• Medical records for 401 out of 717 cases were successfully retrieved and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Obstructed labor was identified as the cause in approximately 97% of genital fistulae cases.
• Genitourinary fistulae were the most common type (86.6%), followed by rectovaginal fistulae (12.1%).
• Successful surgical repair was achieved in 89.71% of the 322 attempted cases.

Conclusions:

• The findings underscore the urgent need for a systematic data collection mechanism, such as a fistula registry.
• A fistula registry would enable tracking of prevalence, incidence, trends, and etiological changes.
• Such data is crucial for developing and implementing effective prevention and treatment strategies for obstetric fistula.