Obstructed Labour at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital. Ilorin

Abstract

During a five-year period between 1st January 1995 to 31st December 1999, three hundred and twenty eight cases of obstructed labour were encountered out of a total of 12,614 deliveries managed at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital giving an incidence of 1 in 38 deliveries (2.6%). One hundred and nine (33.2%) of the patients were nulliparous and 169 (51.1%) were unbooked. Foetopelvic disproportion was the commonest cause of obstructed labour and accounts for 211(64.3%). Wound infection was encountered in 110 (33.5%) and 91 (27.7%) had puerperal sepsis. Health education of the populace on the importance of antenatal care, improvements in the socio-economic conditions, female education and training of traditional birth attendants, proper supervision during labour and provision of adequate and accessible facilities with proper referral were some of the suggested ways of preventing and reducing the incidence of obstructed labour.

Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol.47(4) 2005: 54-57