ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the maternal factors and short-term outcomes associated with episiotomy during vaginal delivery at Women and Newborn Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.Materials and Methods:An unmatched case control study was conducted in postnatal wards of Women and New-born hospital in Lusaka, Zambia between November 2019 and April 2020 with convenient sample for the cases and systematic sample for the controls.Asemi-structuredintervieweradministered questionnaire was used and 102 participants (cases) who had episiotomy performed were recruited while 204(controls) werewithoutepisiotomy.Results:Atotal of 306 (102 are cases and 204 are control) were included. Age was found to be a good predictor of episiotomy in that those younger than 18 years were more than seven times likely to have an episiotomy (AOR=7.65; 95%CI 1.36-18.21; p=0.035). It was also found out that primi gravidas were five times likely to have an episiotomy performed compared to parous women (OR=4.96; 95%CI 2.58-9.52; p<0.001). Out of those delivered by a midwife, 73(28.3%) participants had an episiotomy performed compared to 29(60.4%) deliveredbyamedicalofficer.Multivariateregression it was shown that being delivered by a midwife was protective against an episiotomy (OR=0.260; 95%CI 0.14-0.49; p=0.001). Out of the 102 participants who had an episiotomy, only two had third degree tear extension. It was also noted that 99 out of 102 (97%) participants who had an episiotomy experienced post-delivery perineal pain compared to 94 out of 204(46%) of those who had no episiotomies. In univariate analysis, it was found that post-delivery perineal pain was associated with episiotomy (p<0.001). It was further found that those who had an episiotomy performed were about 4 times likely to experience perineal pain post- delivery (OR=3.8; 95%CI 1.2-12.3) Conclusion:Maternal factors associated with episiotomy includedage,parity,method of induction,and the personnel conducting the elivery. Shorttermmaternaloutcomesofepisiotomy were perineal tear extension, and post-delivery perineal pain. It was found that 8.5% of women had undergone an episiotomy done on them. Health professional conducting deliveries should be educated on indications of episiotomy, patient selection during episiotomy and trained on surgical skills to repair episiotomy to reduce morbidity associated the procedure.