Comparison of maternal outcomes from primary cesarean section during the second compared with first stage of labor by...

To compare maternal outcomes when cesarean sections were performed in the second stage of labor to those performed in the first stage of labor by indication for the operation.

This is a retrospective cohort (n=383) of term parturient women who underwent primary cesarean section during active labor. Cases were drawn from the Obstetrics Department, E. Wolfson Medical Center, a tertiary health care university facility, during a 24 month period. All cases were term singleton pregnancies in vertex presentation following unremarkable pregnancy. Maternal morbidity was assessed.

A significantly higher rate of unintentional uterine incision extensions was observed in cesarean sections performed during second stage compared to first stage (17.1% vs. 4.6%, p=0.001). It was higher whenever (at first or second stage) the fetal head was pushed (20.0% vs. 5.4%, p=0.0024). Unintentional uterine incision extensions were significantly more frequent when the cesarean section was performed for non-progressive labor during the second stage compared to first stage (16.1% vs. 3.6%, p=0.0052). Uterine atonia was more frequent among parturient women who underwent cesarean section for non-progressive labor during the first stage compared to second stage (16.7% vs. 4.8%, p=0.0382).

Uterine atony during first stage cesarean section and unintentional uterine incision extensions during second stage cesarean section were significantly more frequent when the operation was performed for non-progressive labor.