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PubMed2004

[Epidemiology and prognosis of caesarean sections in University Hospital of Dakar].

Caesarean section is our first activity in obstetrical surgery. Due to his high frequency and the maternal and foetal prognostic, we have undertaken to do a prospective, longitudinal, exhaustive study concerning all women whose delivery necessitated a caesarean section, between 01 January and 31 December 2001 in Gynaecological and Obstetrical Clinic of University Hospital Center Le Dantec. Our objectives were: describe the epidemiological aspects, evaluate the maternal and foetal prognosis of caesarean sections performed in University Hospital Center. The study revealed that 25.1% of births necessitated a caesarean section. The average age was of 26; the mean parity of 2; the medium height of 161cm. 26.4% of patients were evacuated and coming from the health centers in majority (41.9%) with unmedicalised evacuation in 44.9% of cases. 78.7% of patients have realised at least 3 antenatal consultations. The mains indications were cephalopelvic disproportions (34.9%) and foetal distress (18.9%). The classification per indications group revealed that 37.2% were "prudence caesarean section", 40.1% were "obligator's caesarean section" and 22.7% "necessity's caesarean section". The mean Apgar's score at the birth was 6,5 at first minute. 12 maternal deaths were noted, means 0.8% of global lethality; the morbidity was at 10.5% of cases, represented mainly by postoperative infection (64.3%). The per natal mortality was estimated to 5.9% and neonatal morbidity to 32%. About the quality of caesarean sections, the temporal (24h/24) and financial(kit of caesarean section) accessibilities are more satisfying; otherwise the quality of surgical act and the postoperative follow-up was not optimal. An inflationist advancement is actually noted about the rate of caesarean section, and due to the widening of the indications to the foetal interest. Nevertheless, despite agreed efforts, the quality is still insufficient because the maternal and per natal morbidity and mortality are still high.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

A cross-validated multifactorial index of perioperative risks in adults undergoing anaesthesia for non-cardiac surgery. Analysis of perioperative events in 26907 anaesthetic procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a severity index of anaesthetic risk that predicts relevant perioperative adverse events in adults. DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional study. SETTING: Department of anaesthesiology at one university hospital. PATIENTS: 26907 consecutive anaesthetic procedures in patients over 15 years of age and a complete preoperative evaluation. Patients undergoing cardiac and obstetric surgery were excluded. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Demographic data, preoperative health status, type of anaesthesia, operative procedures, and perioperative incidents (standardised on a national basis) were acquired by means of a computerised anaesthetic record system. Occurrence of at least one perioperative event with impact on postanaesthetic care was computed by a multivariate logistic regression model against 17 variables with different characteristics representing possible risk factors. Fourteen variables proved to be independent risk factors. The weighting of the variables was expressed in scores which added up to form a simple index for each patient. Patients without major risk factors (0-10 points) had a 0.3% risk of suffering from a relevant incident. Patients with more than 60 points had a 28.6% risk. The results were well demonstrated by cross-validation. CONCLUSIONS: The index seems to reflect the risk of relevant perioperative incidents. It can be used for audit purposes. In daily routine, the index could focus our attention on patients with increased perioperative risk. However, it is limited in detecting particular constellations of factors which interact on each other with regard to perioperative risk.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Rates of major surgery by age and sex in a rural district in Kenya.

All major surgical operations performed during 1 year in Meru district, Kenya, were recorded. The district, with a population of 1.3 million, had five hospitals and two nursing homes where major surgery was performed. Over 3400 major operations were recorded: Caesarean section (129.0 operations/100,000 population), tubal ligation (39.4), laparotomy (14.0), hysterectomy (5.0), open reduction of fracture (4.3) and hernia repair (6.3). The total major surgery rate was 263/100,000 year: 88/100,000 males and 434/100,000 females. Of all major operations, 83.5% were performed on females, the most common being Caesarean section, tubal ligation, laparotomy, eye or lens removal and hysterectomy. Most frequent major operations on males were laparotomy, eye or lens removal, hernia repair, gastro-intestinal surgery and prostatectomy. Most major surgery (68.1%) was on young and middle-aged adults; only 7.7% was performed on children aged < 15 years even though these made up half of the population. Rates increased with age, and there were modest male/female differences except for very high rates of obstetrical surgery on young women. There is need to expand the district's capacity for major surgery and also to prevent more conditions requiring surgery, for example by improving sexual- and reproductive-health education, making family planning services more easily available among sexually active adolescents, and by initiating more aggressive prevention programmes against injuries. Although population-based operation rates, totally and by sex and age-group, are useful indicators for monitoring service output, current reporting is inadequate. One step towards improvement would be to require that every hospital reports, annually to the district level, all major operations by kind and by age and sex of the patient.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Frequency and cause of aborted laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency and cause of aborted laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomies (LAVH) at two hospitals of a major obstetrics and gynecology training program. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A university hospital and a university-affiliated county hospital. PATIENTS: Seventy-eight consecutive women who underwent LAVH at our institutions between June 1992 and February 1995. INTERVENTIONS: Data on age, weight, indications for surgery, obstetric and surgical history, concomitant procedures performed, postoperative diagnosis, perioperative complications, operative time, estimated blood loss, uterine weight, and length of hospital stay were collected from patients' hospital records. Univariate analysis of variance to assess statistical significance was performed when appropriate. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Eight (11.1%) of 78 procedures were converted to abdominal hysterectomy. The most frequent reason for conversion (5 cases, 6%) was large uterine size with limited mobility and associated inability to visualize the pelvic sidewall structures adequately. The other three procedures were converted because of massive intraperitoneal adhesions (2) and intraoperative severe bleeding (1). The mean uterine weight of these eight women (575 g, range 387-1030 g) was significantly higher than that of patients undergoing successful LAVH (230 g, range 35-612; p <0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In our limited series of 78 patients, only one LAVH was converted to abdominal hysterectomy because of an intraoperative complication. A conversion rate of 11.1% may be appropriate so as to offer the potential benefits of the laparoscopic-assisted vaginal approach to the largest number of women who would otherwise undergo an abdominal hysterectomy.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Women in surgical residency training programs.

BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of women are entering surgical fields. The purpose of this study was to assess whether orthopaedic surgery is significantly different from other surgical fields in the recruitment of women to training programs. METHODS: We analyzed data from the American Association of Medical Colleges as reported in annual issues on medical education in the Journal of the American Medical Association for the years 1970 to 2001, excluding 1975. Using linear regression models, we analyzed two factors: changes in the percentage of women within orthopaedic residencies (i.e., the ratio of men to women) and changes in the percentage of all female residents who choose to enter orthopaedics compared with other types of surgical residencies. RESULTS: The percentage of women in the entering classes of medical school has increased from 11.1% in 1970 to 47.8% in 2001, while the percentage of women in orthopaedics has increased from 0.6% in 1970 to 9.0% in 2001. Orthopaedic residencies have the lowest percentage of women compared with all other primary surgical specialties. Only thoracic surgery, a field entered secondarily after the completion of general surgical training, has a lower percentage. The increases in the percentage of women in orthopaedics over the past thirty years have been significantly lower than those in every other primary surgical field (including general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and urology), except neurosurgery, and are markedly different from the percentages of women in the entering classes of medical school. The percentage of all female residents who choose an orthopaedic residency is 0.6%, a number that has not changed over the past twenty years. CONCLUSIONS: Orthopaedic surgery has not had the same success in recruiting female trainees that other surgical fields have had. Furthermore, there appears to be a leveling of the recruitment rate over the past two decades, indicating that the higher numbers of women entering medicine will not be sufficient to improve gender representation in orthopaedic surgery training.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

The role of curriculum in influencing students to select generalist training: a 21-year longitudinal study.

To determine if specific curricula or backgrounds influence selection of generalist careers, the curricular choices of graduates of Mount Sinai School of Medicine between 1970 and 1990 were reviewed based on admission category. Students were divided into three groups: Group 1, those who started their first year of training at the School of Medicine; Group 2, those accepted with advanced standing into their third year of training from the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, a five-year program developed to select and produce students likely to enter primary care fields; and Group 3, those accepted with advanced standing into the third year who spent the first two years at a foreign medical school. All three groups took the identical last two years of clinical training at the School of Medicine. These were no significant differences with respect to initial choice of generalist training programs among all three groups, with 46% of the total cohort selecting generalist training. Of those students who chose generalist programs, 58% in Group 1, 51% in Group 2, and 41% in Group 3 remained in these fields rather than progressing to fellowship training. This difference was significant only with respect to Group 3. However, when an analysis was performed among those students providing only primary care as compared to only specialty care, there were no significant differences. Analysis by gender revealed women to be more likely to select generalist fields and remain in these fields without taking specialty training (P < .0001). Differentiating characteristics with respect to choosing generalist fields were not related to either Part I or Part II scores on National Board Examinations or selection to AOA. However, with respect to those specific specialties considered quite competitive (general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and ophthalmology), total test scores on Part I and Part II were significantly higher than those of all other students. The analysis indicated that, despite the diverse characteristics of students entering the third year at the School of Medicine, no one group produced a statistically greater proportion of generalists positions than any other, and academic performance while in medical school did not have a significant influence on whether a student entered a generalist field.

Career Choice↗
PubMed2003

Severe fetal bradycardia in a pregnant surgical patient despite normal oxygenation and blood pressure.

PURPOSE: To report and discuss a case of fetal bradycardia in a parturient under anesthesia for cholecystectomy despite normal maternal oxygenation and arterial blood pressure. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 27-yr-old woman (gravida 2 para 1), with a fetus of 34 weeks gestation, received general anesthesia for cholecystectomy. After anesthesia induction and tracheal intubation, anesthesia was maintained with oxygen, sevoflurane and iv remifentanil infusion. While preparing for surgery, the fetal heart rate decreased within about half a minute to 70 beats x min(-1) and remained at that level. The maternal blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation were normal. An emergency Cesarean delivery was performed. The infant had Apgar scores of 1 at one minute, 5 at five minutes, 7 at ten minutes and required resuscitation after birth. CONCLUSION: Ideally, women having non-obstetric surgery during the third trimester of pregnancy will have intraoperative fetal heart rate monitoring.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections in Indonesian hospitals.

A cross-sectional surveillance of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and exposure to risk factors was undertaken in two Indonesian teaching hospitals (Hospitals A and B). Patients from internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, a class department and intensive care were included. Patient demographics, antibiotic use, culture results, presence of HAI [phlebitis, surgical site infection (SSI), urinary tract infection (UTI) and septicaemia] and risk factors were recorded. To check for interobserver variation, a validation study was performed in Hospital B. In Hospitals A and B, 1,334 and 888 patients were included, respectively. Exposure to invasive devices and surgery was 59%. In Hospital A, 2.8% of all patients had phlebitis, 1.7% had SSI, 0.9% had UTI and 0.8% had septicaemia. In Hospital B, 3.8% had phlebitis, 1.8% had SSI, 1.1% had UTI and 0.8% had septicaemia. In the validation study, the prevalence as recorded by the first team was 2.6% phlebitis, 1.8% SSI, 0.9% UTI and no septicaemia, and that recorded by the second team was 2.2% phlebitis, 2.6% SSI, 3.5% UTI and 0.9% septicaemia. This study is the first to report on HAI in Indonesia. Prevalence rates are comparable to those in other countries. The reliability of the surveillance was insufficient as a considerable difference in prevalence rates was found in the validation study. The surveillance method used is a feasible tool for hospitals in countries with limited healthcare resources to estimate their level of HAI and make improvements in infection control. Efficiency can be improved by restricting the surveillance to include only those patients with invasive procedures. This can help to detect 90% of all infections while screening only 60% of patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

The incidence of adhesions after prior laparotomy: a laparoscopic appraisal.

OBJECTIVE: To relate the presence of intra-abdominal adhesions after laparotomy to the site of incision, repeat laparotomy, and the clinical indication for prior surgery. METHODS: Three hundred sixty women undergoing operative laparoscopy after a previous laparotomy were assessed for adhesions between the abdominal wall and the underlying omentum and bowel. Complications resulting directly from these adhesions were documented. RESULTS: Patients with prior midline incisions had significantly more adhesions (58 of 102) than those with Pfannenstiel incisions (70 of 258). Patients with midline incisions performed for gynecologic indications had significantly more adhesions (109 of 259) than all types of incisions performed for obstetric indications (12 of 55). The presence of adhesions in patients with previous obstetric surgery was not affected by the type of incision. Adhesions to the bowel were significantly more frequent after midline incisions above the umbilicus. Twenty-one women suffered direct injury to adherent omentum and bowel during the laparoscopic procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-abdominal adhesions between the abdominal scar and underlying viscera are a common consequence of laparotomy. Patients undergoing laparoscopy after a previous laparotomy should be considered at risk for the presence of adhesions between the old scar and the bowel and omentum.

Female↗
PubMed1998

Prevalence and risk factors for nosocomial lower respiratory tract infections in German hospitals.

The prevalence and risk factors for nosocomial lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in Germany were determined as part of a national survey on nosocomial infections. The study included 14,966 patients in 72 representatively selected hospitals with departments of general medicine, surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, and intensive care units (ICU). Surveillance was carried out by four previously validated medical doctors who strictly applied the CDC-criteria for diagnosis of nosocomial infections. The overall prevalence of hospital-acquired LRTI was 0.72% with the highest rate in hospitals with more than 600 beds (1.08%) and among the patients on intensive care units (9.00%). Ventilator-associated pneumonia rates were highest in patients on ICUs (13.27). Polytrauma, impaired consciousness, chronic airway disease, prior surgery, and cardiovascular disease were significantly related to the occurrence of nosocomial LRTI. P. aeruginosa was the predominant organism causing nosocomial LRTI. Nosocomial LRTI remain a problem mainly on ICUs. Patients at risk should be monitored with extra care.

Cross Infection↗
PubMed2001

[Hypogastric artery ligation. Safety and efficacy of a training program].

Bilateral hypogastric artery ligation is a technique described in the antiquity to restrain the hemorrhage in the gynecological and obstetric surgery. There are few Gineco-obstetricians that dominate the technique, for what intended a training program, in which was to demonstrate their security and effectiveness. We carry out a program where were qualified 14 gineco-obstetricians, theoretical and surgically. Results were analyzed finding an acceptable security with 1.5% of complications and an effectiveness demonstrated when having to the program 92.9% of students that reached the competition. We intend to reply the course in other hospital units, in order to decrease the maternal mortality for hemorrhage obstetric or gynecological.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1988

Comparison of the antimicrobial prophylactic efficacy of cefotaxime and cephazolin in obstetric and gynaecological surgery. A randomised multicentre study.

A prospective randomised multicentre study was designed to assess the efficacy of 2 different cephalosporins as short term prophylactic treatment in obstetric and gynaecological surgery. A single dose of cefotaxime (2g IV before surgery) was compared with 2 doses of cephazolin (2g IV before surgery and after 8 hours). Patients exposed to antibacterial drugs within 7 days, who had preoperative infections, or with known beta-lactam hypersensitivity were excluded. 612 patients entered the study, of whom 552 were evaluable. 276 were given cephazolin (group A) and 276 cefotaxime (group B). Groups A and B were similar for mean age, obesity, diabetes, types of diseases and obstetric history. No significant differences were observed in type of surgery (vaginal hysterectomy, abdominal hysterectomy, myomectomy and caesarean section) between 2 groups. The mean duration of surgery was 89 and 85 minutes in group A and B, respectively. 25 patients (9.1%) in group A and 20 (7.2%) in group B developed wound infections (not statistically significantly different). The percentages of patients with infections other than surgical infections were similar (i.e. 13.0 and 11.2 for the cefotaxime and the cephazolin groups, respectively). These preliminary data show that a single 2g IV dose of cefotaxime and two 2g IV doses of cephazolin have equal antimicrobial prophylactic activity in obstetric and gynaecological surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Decline in popularity of general surgery as a career choice in North America: review of postgraduate residency training selection in Canada, 1996-2001.

There has been a perception that fewer medical students are currently pursuing careers in general surgery. To investigate the validity of this premise we reviewed the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) database from 1996 to 2001 and identified recent trends in graduates' selections. Three surgical specialties--general surgery, orthopedic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology--were chosen for analysis as "poor lifestyle" specialties. They were compared to anesthesia, diagnostic radiology, and ophthalmology, which were chosen as representative "good lifestyle" specialties. Linear regression and chi-square analyses were performed to identify significant changes in applications to each specialty. A negative trend in first-choice applications to all three "poor lifestyle" specialties was observed, whereas all three "good lifestyle" specialties experienced increased first-choice applicants. Potential factors influencing medical student residency selection are discussed, emphasizing the reduced number of first-choice applicants to general surgery.

Canada↗
PubMed1994

Acid aspiration syndrome prophylaxis in gynaecological and obstetric patients. A Norwegian survey.

Clinical practice and attitudes of Acid Aspiration Syndrome (AAS) prevention in connection with gynaecological and obstetric surgery were surveyed in all Norwegian departments of anaesthesia. General anaesthesia with rapid-sequence intubation using succinylcholine and cricoid pressure was the preferred method for all emergency surgery, except Caesarian section (C-section) where 58% of the departments reported use of spinal or epidural anaesthesia if time allowed for its use. Chemoprophylaxis was more often used before emergency C-section (60%) than before emergency gynaecological surgery (14%), and mostly consisted of the antacid sodium citrate given alone. Seventy-six percent of the departments used mechanical emptying of the stomach before emergency gynaecological surgery and 44% before emergency C-section. While all responders considered recent intake of a "light breakfast" in an elective patient to be a risk factor of AAS indicating delay of surgery or use of specific precautions like regional anaesthesia, rapid-sequence intubation, or chemoprophylaxis, 52-72% of the responders considered obesity, dyspepsia, recent water intake, smoking or use of chewing gum to be risk factors as well. We think this survey demonstrates a need for consensus discussions of AAS prophylaxis.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1998

The Collaborative Randomised Amnioinfusion for Meconium Project (CRAMP): 2. Zimbabwe.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate transcervical amnioinfusion for meconium stained amniotic fluid during labour. DESIGN: Multicentre randomised controlled trial. SETTING: A large urban academic hospital. Electronic fetal heart rate monitoring was not used. PARTICIPANTS: Women in labour at term with moderate or thick meconium staining of the amniotic fluid. INTERVENTIONS: Transcervical amnioinfusion of 500 mL saline over 30 minutes, then 500 mL at 30 drops per minute. The control group received routine care. Blinding of the intervention was not possible. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Caesarean section, meconium aspiration syndrome and perinatal mortality. RESULTS: There was no difference in risk for caesarean section in the two groups (amnioinfusion 9.5% vs control 12.3%; RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.53-1.32). Meconium aspiration syndrome was significantly less frequent in the amnioinfusion group (3.1% vs 12.8%; RR 0.24, 95% CI 0.12-0.48), and there was a trend towards fewer perinatal deaths (1.2% vs 3.6%; RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.11-1.06). CONCLUSIONS: Amnioinfusion is technically feasible in a developing country situation with limited intrapartum facilities. In this study amnioinfusion for meconium stained amniotic fluid was associated with striking improvements in perinatal outcome.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of LMA Unique, Ambu laryngeal mask and Soft Seal laryngeal mask during routine surgical procedures.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to compare three disposable airway devices, the LMA Unique (LMA-U), the Ambu laryngeal mask (Ambu LM) and the Soft Seal laryngeal mask (Soft Seal LM) for elective general anaesthesia during controlled ventilation in non-paralysed patients. METHODS: One hundred and twenty ASA I-III patients scheduled for routine minor obstetric surgery were randomly allocated to the LMA-U (n = 40), Ambu LM (n = 40) or Soft Seal LM (n = 40) groups, respectively. Patients were comparable with respect to weight and airway characteristics. A size 4 LMA was used in all patients and inserted by a single experienced anaesthesiologist. Oxygenation, overall success rate, insertion time, cuff pressure and resulting airway leak pressure were determined as well as a subjective assessment of handling and the incidence of sore throat, dysphagia and hoarseness. RESULTS: Time of insertion was shortest with the Ambu LM, while failure rates were comparable with the LMA-U, the Ambu LM and the Soft Seal LM (median 19 s; range 8-57 s; success rate 100% vs. 14; 8-35; 97% vs. 20; 12-46; 95%). Insertion was judged 'excellent' in 75% of patients in the LMA-U group, in 70% of patients in Ambu LM group and in 65% of patients in the Soft Seal LM group. There was no difference between devices with respect to postoperative airway morbidity at 6 h or 24 h following surgery. CONCLUSIONS: All three disposable devices were clinically suitable with respect to insertion times, success rates, oxygenation, airway and leak pressures, as well as to subjective handling and postoperative airway morbidity.

Air Pressure↗
PubMed2004

Benefit-risk assessment of ropivacaine in the management of postoperative pain.

Ropivacaine is a long-acting amide-type local anaesthetic, released for clinical use in 1996. In comparison with bupivacaine, ropivacaine is equally effective for subcutaneous infiltration, epidural and peripheral nerve block for surgery, obstetric procedures and postoperative analgesia. Nevertheless, ropivacaine differs from bupivacaine in several aspects: firstly, it is marketed as a pure S(-)-enantiomer and not as a racemate, and secondly, its lipid solubility is markedly lower. These features have been suggested to significantly improve the safety profile of ropivacaine, and indeed, numerous studies have shown that ropivacaine has less cardiovascular and CNS toxicity than racemic bupivacaine in healthy volunteers. Extensive clinical data have demonstrated that epidural 0.2% ropivacaine is nearly identical to 0.2% bupivacaine with regard to onset, quality and duration of sensory blockade for initiation and maintenance of labour analgesia. Ropivacaine also provides effective pain relief after abdominal or orthopaedic surgery, especially when given in conjunction with opioids or other adjuvants. Nevertheless, epidurally administered ropivacaine causes significantly less motor blockade at low concentrations. Whether the greater degree of blockade of nerve fibres involved in pain transmission (Adelta- and C-fibres) than of those controlling motor function (Aalpha- and Abeta-fibres) is due to a lower relative potency compared with bupivacaine or whether other physicochemical properties or stereoselectivity are involved, is still a matter of intense debate. Recommended epidural doses for postoperative or labour pain are 20-40 mg as bolus with 20-30 mg as top-up dose, with an interval of >or=30 minutes. Alternatively, 0.2% ropivacaine can be given as continuous epidural infusion at a rate of 6-14 mL/h (lumbar route) or 4-10 mL/h (thoracic route). Preoperative or postoperative subcutaneous wound infiltration, during cholecystectomy or inguinal hernia repair, with ropivacaine 100-175 mg has been shown to be more effective than placebo and as effective as bupivacaine in reducing wound pain, whereby the vasoconstrictive potency of ropivacaine may be involved. Similar results were found in peripheral blockades on upper and lower limbs. Ropivacaine shows an identical efficacy and potency to that of bupivacaine, with similar analgesic duration over hours using single shot or continuous catheter techniques. In summary, ropivacaine, a newer long-acting local anaesthetic, has an efficacy generally similar to that of the same dose of bupivacaine with regard to postoperative pain relief, but causes less motor blockade and stronger vasoconstriction at low concentrations. Despite a significantly better safety profile of the pure S(-)-isomer of ropivacaine, the increased cost of ropivacaine may presently limit its clinical utility in postoperative pain therapy.

Amides↗
PubMed1998

The Collaborative Randomised Amnioinfusion for Meconium Project (CRAMP): 1. South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate transcervical amnioinfusion for meconium stained amniotic fluid during labout. DESIGN: Multicentre randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Four urban academic hospitals in South Africa. Obstetric surveillance included the use of electronic fetal heart rate monitoring in most cases. PARTICIPANTS: Women in labour at term with moderate or thick meconium staining of the amniotic fluid. INTERVENTIONS: Transcervical amnioinfusion of 800 mL saline at 15 mL per minute, followed by a maintenance infusion at 3 mL per minute. The control group received routine care. Blinding of the intervention was not possible. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Caesarean section, meconium aspiration syndrome and perinatal mortality. RESULTS: Caesarean section rates were similar (amnioinfusion group 70/167 vs control group 68/159; RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.76-1.26). The incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome was lower than expected on the basis of previous studies (4/162 vs 6/163; RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.19-2.33). There were no perinatal deaths. There were no significant differences between any of the subsidiary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This study concurred with three previous trials which found no effect of amnioinfusion for meconium-stained amniotic fluid on caesarean section rate, though the pooled data from all identified trials to date show a significant reduction. The findings with respect to meconium aspiration syndrome were inconclusive in this study alone because of the small number of babies affected, but the point estimate of the relative risk was consistent with the finding of a significant reduction in previous studies and with the Zimbabwe arm (CRAMP 2) of this study. Pooled data clearly support the use of amnioinfusion for meconium stained amniotic fluid to reduce the incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome.

Amnion↗