Emergency Obstetric Hysterectomy: A Retrospective Study from a Teaching Hospital in North India over Eight Years

We sought to determine the frequency, demographic characteristics, indications, and feto-maternal outcomes associated with emergency peripartum hysterectomy in an easily accessible urban center.

We conducted a retrospective, observational, and analytical study over a period of eight years, from August 2006 to July 2014. A total of 56 cases of emergency obstetric hysterectomy (EOH) were studied in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kasturba Hospital, New Delhi.

The incidence of EOH in our study was 30 per 100,000 following vaginal delivery and 270 per 100,000 following cesarean section. The overall incidence was 83 per 100,000 deliveries. Atonic postpartum hemorrhage (25%) was the most common indication followed by placenta accreta (21%) and uterine rupture (17.5%). The most frequent sequelae were febrile morbidity (19.2%) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (13.5%). Maternal mortality was 17.7% whereas perinatal mortality was 37.5%.

A balanced approach to EOH can prove to be lifesaving at times when conservative surgical modalities fail and interventional radiology is not immediately available. Our study highlights the place of extirpative surgery in modern obstetrics in the face of rising rates of cesarean section and multiple pregnancies particularly in urban settings in developing countries.