Incidence of infection after caesarean section: a study

This article reports a study of the incidence of infection in patients undergoing Caesarean section in a district general hospital maternity unit. A literature review was carried out and data were collected on operating circumstances, catheterisation, rates of infection, antibiotic therapy and post-discharge infection surveillance. A high incidence of infection was discovered and there was no evidence of a systematic approach to antibiotic therapy. The author highlights the need for further research on a larger group of patients and describes changes in practice which have occurred locally since completion of the study.