[Does low-risk delivery exist?]

The main objective of our study is to evaluate the rate of call of the obstetrician during childbirth supposed in low-risk and compare it to high-risk deliveries in a maternity service level II. The secondary objective is to assess the level of intervention of the obstetrician with the patient in both groups.

This is a prospective study of 490 patients including 259 classified as low risk based on obstetric criteria of Bourgogne Perinatal Network. The criteria considered for the call and/or intervention of the obstetrician were the following: altered fetal heart rate, lactate scalp, instrumental delivery, cesarean section, complete or complicated perineal, serious event during labor (cord prolapse, uterine rupture…), postpartum hemorrhage treated by prostaglandin ocytocic. The high-risk group is taken as reference for the calculation of confidence intervals.

The rate of call of the obstetrician in the low versus high risk are: 37% [95% CI: 0.98-2.11] and 29% [95% CI: 1.00] (P=0.0587). The rate of intervention of the obstetrician in the low versus high risk is 21% [95% CI: 1.15-3.07] and 12% [95% CI: 1.00] (P=0.0109).

The delivery process is unpredictable and potentially risky. Thirty-seven percent of patients classified as low risk at the beginning of labour have required intervention of the obstetrician and 21% of them his intervention.