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Caesarean delivery in the Limbé and the Buea regional hospitals, Cameroon: frequency, indications and outcomes
Abstract
Regional Hospital (LRH) and the Buea Regional Hospital (BRH), Cameroon. We also assessed the relationship between the indication for CD and ANO in the said hospitals. Methods: This was a hospital-based retrospective and prospective cross-sectional study using descriptive and analytic methods conducted in the LRH and the BRH maternity units within a nine months period in 2015. Informed consent was obtainedfrom mothers of the neonates. Data analyses were performed using Epi-Info 3.5.4 software. Results: We recruited 199 neonates born through CD. The prevalence of CD was 13.3% with cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) being the most frequent (32.2%) indication for CD. There were 52 (26.1%) ANO following CD and respiratory distress was the most common 24 (46.2%) of all ANO. Emergency indications for CD were associated with more ANO 49 (34.5%) as compared to elective indications for CD 3 (5.3%) [p-value<0.001]. We noted a significant association between indications for CD and the various type of ANO, with CPD having the worse prognostic neonatal outcomes 30.8% [p-value=0.02]. Conclusion: The prevalence of ANO associated with CD in our hospitals was high with a worrying prognosis. While the exact reasons are unknown, the creation of well-equipped neonatal units with trained staff, may contribute to reduce neonatal morbidity and fatalities. Furthermore, the association of CPD to worse prognostic neonatal outcomes calls for clinicians, to consider additional management options, such as antibiotic prophylaxis and oxygen therapy to the neonates, prior to CD.
Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 24