Outcome of Emergency Obstetric Cases in Relation to the Referral Pattern at a Tertiary Hospital in Puducherry: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Background: Referral is a crucial aspect of emergency obstetric care in India. Adequate and timely referrals help to improve the quality of health‑care services and maternal and child well‑being. Objectives: Studies are needed to assess the outcome of obstetric mothers’ emergency admissions in relation to referral patterns. Materials and Methods: A hospital‑based cross‑sectional descriptive study was done among obstetric patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital’s emergency department (emergency medical service [EMS]). Aretrospective cohort was analyzed. The data were entered in Epicollect5 and imported to STATA software version 16 for analysis. Results: A total of 685 mothers admitted to EMS were selected for the study, with a mean (standard deviation) age of 26.5 years (4.2). Among the study participants, 181 (26.4%) were referred from other institutions, 382 (55.8%) were nonreferral who received antenatal checkups in the tertiary hospital, and 122 (17.8%) were self‑referral who had not received any antenatal checkup in the tertiary hospital. The adverse fetal outcome was 1.88 (1.21–2.95) times higher in the referred mothers compared to the self‑referral. Conclusion: We observed that a higher percentage of referrals were from the primary health centers. This kind of direct referral to tertiary care hospitals can be avoided by availing the emergency obstetric services at secondary hospitals to prevent adverse fetal outcomes and unnecessary referrals to the tertiary hospital.

Study Of Maternal Near Miss Events At The Tertiary Care Hospital

Background:A maternal near miss case is defined as a “a woman who nearly died but survived a complication that occurred during pregnancy,child birth or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy”1.MMR is defined as ratio of number of maternal deaths per 1000 live births. All pregnant women deserve a good quality of care especially Emergency Obstetric Care including proper infrastructure, human resources that can detect and manage such complications earliest. The objective of this study was to evaluate the causes of maternal near miss cases, various management modalities performed and maternal and fetal outcome in near miss cases. Material And Methods:A retrospective study was carried out in obstetrics and gynaecology department of SCL municipal general hospital, Ahmedabad for identification of MNM as per MNM-R operational guidelines (2014) in a tertiary care hospital from August 2020 to March 2022. Result:Total deliveries during our study period were 9266 out of which 535 number of patients developed complications, 75 patients ended up becoming near miss cases and 30 maternal mortalities were observed.Hypertensive disorders (38.6%) followed by severe anemia (18.6%) and haemorrhage (13.3%) were the commonest underlying causes leading to MNM. More than one management modality was followed in one case. 25% of patients required blood transfusion. Out of which 11 patients required massive blood transfusion (>5 units of blood) and 16% of patients required blood products along with blood resulting from either severe anemia or altered coagulopathy (DIC). 69.3% of patients required ICU stay of <5 days and majority of patients required hospital stay of 9-14 days.63.6% of patients required ICU stay of 1-4 days.Live birth rate was 82.6%.Conclusion:Maternal health is the direct indicator of prevailing health status in a country. Reduction in maternal mortality is one of the targets of MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS13for 2015 but in spite of full efforts by all the health care professionals, it still remains a challenge in developing countries.There should be prompt and proper management of high-risk groups by frequent antenatal visits. Aggressive management of each complication and close monitoring of women in labour, decision making in mode and time of termination of pregnancy are important to prevent further complications.

The development of Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) and Maternal Health in the Philippines: A historical literature review

Introduction@#Implementation of Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) aims to curb maternal mortality. However, the Philippines failed to significantly reduce the maternal mortality rate (MMR) targeted in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Currently, the country is still far from the targeted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This review describes the historical development of BEmONC in the Philippines over the past 13 years and provides insights on its role in decreasing MMR. @*Methods@#We searched online for journal articles, publications, reports, policies, and other issuances related to BEmONC and maternal health in the Philippines. We accessed updates and data via correspondence with the Department of Health (DOH). Statistics were compiled from public databases. The identified citations were screened, appraised, synthesized, and analyzed in a historical approach. @*Results@#A direct result of the Emergency Obstetric Care Approach, BEmONC was developed to respond to the high MMR in the Philippines, in line with global efforts to improve maternal health. However, BEmONC functionality generally remained inadequate. @*Conclusions@#Although the provision of BEmONC services increased facility-based deliveries and skilled birth attendance during childbirth, this failed to decrease MMR and achieve targeted goals substantially. Further capacity-building is needed, especially in rural and resource-poor areas. Government issuances at the national and local levels should be aligned to complement each other. There should be a health systems approach that considers the building blocks of an efficient health care system and the social determinants that impact them.

Assistência em urgência e emergência/pronto socorro obstétrico: revisão integrativa / Assistance in urgency and emergency/obstetric emergency care: an integrative literature review / Emergencia y asistencia de emergencia / primeros auxilios obstétricos: revisión integrativa

Objetivo: identificar o perfil das gestantes que buscam atendimento em unidades de pronto socorro a partir das evidências encontradas na literatura. Método: revisão integrativa, com busca de artigos em bases de dados na área da saúde, no período de janeiro de 2007 a dezembro de 2016, nas bases Indice Bibliográfico Español de Ciencias de la Salud, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde e Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online. Resultados: dos 3.964 artigos selecionados por meio das bases de dados, 22 pesquisas estavam elegíveis para a leitura na íntegra, destes apenas 4 artigos estavam de acordo com a questão norteadora do estudo. Quanto aos artigos incluídos dois eram de língua portuguesa e um inglesa e espanhola e todos dos últimos 3 anos. Conclusão: a clientela que busca atendimento obstétrico precisa ser mais informada na atenção básica por ocasião do pré-natal sobre os sinais e sintomas que caracterizam emergência e urgência, pois a grande a maioria das gestantes procuraram os serviços de prontos socorros desnecessariamente

Objective: to identify the profile of pregnant women seeking care in emergency room units based on the evidence found in the literature. Method: integrative review, with search of articles in databases in the health area, from January 2007 to December 2016, in the databases Index of Spanish Health Sciences, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Sciences Health and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online. Results: of the 3,964 articles selected through the databases, 22 surveys were eligible for full reading, of which only 4 articles were in agreement with the guiding question of the study. As for the articles included two were Portuguese and one English and Spanish and all of the last 3 years. Conclusion: the clientele seeking obstetric care needs to be more informed in the basic prenatal care about the signs and symptoms that characterize emergency and urgency, since the great majority of pregnant women have sought emergency care services unnecessarily

Objetivo: identificar el perfil de las gestantes que buscan atención en unidades de socorro a partir de las evidencias encontradas en la literatura. Método: revisión integrativa, con búsqueda de artículos en bases de datos en el área de la salud, en el período de enero de 2007 a diciembre de 2016, en las bases Indice Bibliográfico Español de Ciencias de la Salud, Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud Salud y Medicina Literatura Análisis y Recuperación del sistema en línea. Resultados: de los 3.964 artículos seleccionados a través de las bases de datos, 22 encuestas eran elegibles para la lectura íntegra, de estos sólo 4 artículos estaban de acuerdo con la cuestión orientadora del estudio. En cuanto a los dos artículos fueron incluidos en portugués y en Inglés y Español y todos los últimos tres años. Conclusión: la clientela que busca atención obstétrica necesita ser más informada en la atención básica con ocasión del prenatal sobre los signos y síntomas que caracterizan emergencia y urgencia, pues la gran mayoría de las gestantes buscaban los servicios de prontos auxilios innecesariamente

Concordância interavaliadores do Protocolo de Acolhimento e Classificação de Risco em Obstetrícia do Ministério da Saúde / Inter-rater agreement of the Reception Protocol and Risk Classification in Obstetrics of the Ministry of Health

Introdução: A classificação de risco é definida como uma ferramenta utilizada nos serviços de urgência e emergência que auxilia na identificação de pacientes que necessitam atendimento prioritário. Em obstetrícia o surgimento de um protocolo específico por intermédio do Ministério da Saúde que conta com 12 fluxogramas tem sido uma medida adotada para organização e humanização dos serviços que atendem obstetrícia, no intuito de minimizar danos relacionados à saúde dessas usuárias que aguardam atendimento . O objetivo do estudo foi: determinar o grau de concordância interavaliador na aplicação do protocolo de acolhimento e classificação de risco em obstetrícia do Ministério da Saúde em uma unidade de pronto atendimento obstétrico. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal, com abordagem metodológica, que analisou a reprodutibilidade do protocolo em obstetrícia do Ministério da saúde. Para a coleta dos dados: foram avaliados prontuários com o registro de atendimentos ocorridos entre novembro 2019 e maio de 2020. Foram entrevistados enfermeiros que possuem treinamento em classificação de risco e também enfermeiros que não possuem treinamento em classificação de risco. Para análise estatística dos dados foram calculados através do coeficiente de Kappa, sensibilidade e especificidade. Resultados: Os resultados do estudo demonstraram que o grau de confiabilidade interavaliadores foi considerado de moderado a forte representado pelo coeficiente Kappa que variou entre (0,47 e 0,77), foi observado também uma tendência na subestimação do grupo prioritário vermelho e amarelo, e uma tendência de superestimação nas prioridades clínicas amarelo e verde. Apesar de ter acontecido casos de subestimação e superestimação não ocorreram diferenças significativas nos grupos de enfermeiros treinados versus não treinados para utilização do protocolo de A&CR-O. Assim, os resultados desta dissertação corroboram com a hipótese que o protocolo de A&CR ­ O é confiável para o que se propõe. Conclusão: Esse estudo possibilitou verificar que o protocolo é confiável para sua utilização no campo da obstetrícia, uma vez que demonstrou concordância moderada a forte entre os grupos de avaliadores, além disso contribuiu para a análise da reprodutibilidade do protocolo de classificação de risco em obstetrícia que vem sendo implantado desde se sua publicação podendo ser utilizado com maior segurança por Enfermeiros. Palavras-chave: Protocolos. Protocolos clínicos. Confiabilidade. Obstetrícia. Classificação de risco. Serviços de emergência obstétrica. Reprodutibilidade. Enfermagem. Enfermagem Obstétrica. Estudos de avaliação.

Introduction: Risk classification is defined as a tool used in urgent and emergency services that helps to identify patients who need priority care. In obstetrics, the emergence of a specific protocol through the Ministry of Health, which has 12 flowcharts, has been a measure adopted to organize and humanize the services that attend obstetrics, in order to minimize the health-related damage of these users who are awaiting care. The objective of the study was: to determine the degree of inter-rater agreement in the application of the welcoming protocol and risk classification in obstetrics of the Ministry of Health in an obstetric emergency care unit. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, with a methodological approach, which analyzed the reproducibility of the protocol in obstetrics of the Ministry of Health. For data collection: medical records were evaluated with the record of visits that took place between November 2019 and May 2020. Nurses who have training in risk classification and nurses who do not have training in risk classification were interviewed. For statistical analysis of the data, they were calculated using the Kappa coefficient, sensitivity and specificity. Results: The results of the study showed that the degree of inter-rater reliability was considered moderate to strong, represented by the Kappa coefficient that varied between (0.47 and 0.77), a tendency was also observed in the underestimation of the red and yellow priority group, and a tendency to overestimate the yellow and green clinical priorities. Despite cases of underestimation and overestimation, there were no significant differences in the groups of trained versus untrained nurses to use the A & CR-O protocol. Thus, the results of this dissertation corroborate the hypothesis that the A&CR - O protocol is reliable for what it is proposed. Conclusion: This study made it possible to verify that the protocol is reliable for its use in the field of obstetrics, since it demonstrated mode rate to strong agreement between the groups of evaluators, in addition it contributed to the analysis of the reproducibility of the risk classification protocol in obstetrics that it has been implemented since its publication and can be used more safely by nurses.

The effect of a two-day training and refresher program on the basic emergency obstetric and newborn care knowledge and skills of health workers in Legazpi City, Albay

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objectives:</strong> The availability of emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) services is one of the key strategies in improving maternal health and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3. Health staff knowledge and competency on these interventions are crucial to ensure the effective handling and management of obstetric and newborn emergencies. Health workers, despite having undergone formal training, require regular refresher courses to keep up with new, evidence-based information on EmONC intervention; and to ensure compliance with national and local referral guidelines. A two-day workshop was implemented to assess the knowledge and skills of health workers in Legazpi, Albay, regarding obstetric emergency cases and referral guidelines.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods:</strong> A pretest was conducted on the first day to assess the knowledge of the participants. A series of lectures were given before administering a posttest at the end of these lectures. An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was conducted on the second day, which aimed to assess the skills of the participants.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Results:</strong> The pretest findings indicated that the participants are generally knowledgeable about areas such as handwashing and prenatal care. Results of the posttest show that participants had difficulty with the category of referrals. Moreover, comparing the pretest and posttest scores, there is strong evidence that there is a difference in the median values of the pretest scores as compared to the posttest scores. The results of the OSCE also indicate the need for further training on partograph use and adherence to an EINC protocol. More than half of the participants passed all five parts of the OSCE.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The workshop contributed to an improvement in the knowledge of health care workers in obstetric emergency cases. Skills-wise, more frequent training may need to be conducted to improve other competencies such as partograph utilization and the practice of EINC interventions.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Key Words:</strong> emergency obstetric care, training, skilled birth attendants, knowledge, skills</p>

Accessibility and Utilization of Emergency Obstetric Care in Rural Settings of Wardha District- Beneficiaries Perspective

In India, Emergency Obstetric Care services were started under RCH-II with the goal to reduce MMR to less than 100/lakh live births, and increase institutional deliveries to 80% by 2010. Strategy was to enhance availability and access to EmOC, for averting unpredictable death during pregnancy and childbirth. We wanted to determine the perception of beneficiary women about accessibility and utilization pattern of EmOC at peripheral health care facilities. METHODSThe present qualitative study was conducted in one of the eight blocks of Wardha (Maharashtra) from May to October-2017. Data was collected by in-depth interview of service users (21 beneficiaries). Notes were transcribed and then translated into English. Respondents’ verbatim that are significant and illustrative as per theme of study were used for analysis.RESULTSFacilitators for EmOC were found to be birth preparedness, promotion of institutional delivery, registration for JSY/JSSK through health workers along with provision of some EmOC services. Socio-cultural beliefs, leading to delay in recognition of danger signals to access care, transportation delay due to poor access of ambulance and identified vehicles along with insufficient coverage of JSSK program, were the main barriers. Beneficiaries who required EmOC were dissatisfied due to frequent referral & travelling, expenditure on transport & food, loss of daily wages, managing dependent family members and domestic work.

Healthcare workers’ knowledge and attitude towards prompt referral of women with postpartum haemorrhage in Nigeria: a community-based study

Background: Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH) is a major contributor to maternal mortality in developing countries most especially in the rural areas where Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) are not available. Delay in referring women from rural health facilities to settings where EmOC services are available have been reported. This study assessed community-based healthcare workers’ (CHWs) knowledge and attitude towards the prevention, early recognition and prompt referral of women with Post-Partum Haemorrhage (PPH) for Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC).Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 200 CHWs recruited from community-based healthcare. Data analysis was done in SPSS version 20 at significance level of 0.05.Results: Findings show that 86.5% (n=173) of the respondents had good knowledge while 12% (n=24) and 1.5% (n=3) had moderate and poor knowledge respectively. Negative attitude towards prompt referral of women affected with PPH was found among 51% (n=102) of the respondents. Unavailability of blood drapes to estimate blood loss [χ2 (1, n=200) = 4.51, p=0.03], lack of ambulance [χ2 (1, n=200) = 4.46, p=0.03], and poor state of the roads [χ2 (1, n=200) = 4.44, p=0.03] were factors linked to poor attitude of CHWs towards prompt referral of affected women.Conclusions: The study concluded that there is a need for intervention that can help improve community healthcare workers’ attitude towards prompt referral of women affected with postpartum haemorrhage. There is also a need for general overhaul of community-based facilities to effectively support prompt referral.

Emergency obstetric hysterectomy: a two-year observational study at tertiary care center in Berhampur, Odisha, India

Background: Emergency obstetric hysterectomy is an unequivocal marker of severe maternal morbidity and, in many respects, the treatment of last resort for rupture uterus, severe postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and other such life-threatening conditions. In no other gynaecological or obstetrical surgery is the surgeon in as much a dilemma as when deciding to resort to an emergency hysterectomy. On one hand it is the last resort to save a mother’s life, and on the other hand, the mother’s reproductive capability is sacrificed. This study is conducted with an aim to determine the frequency, demographic characteristics, indications, and feto-maternal outcomes associated with emergency obstetric hysterectomy in a tertiary care centre.Methods: We conducted a prospective, observational, and analytical study over a period of two years, from September 2017 till September 2019. A total of 56 cases of emergency obstetric hysterectomy (EOH) were studied in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MKCG Medical College, Berhampur.Results: The incidence of EOH in our study was 12 following vaginal delivery and 44 following caesarean section. The overall incidence was 56 per 21,128 deliveries. Uterine rupture (37.5%) was the most common indication followed by atonic postpartum hemorrhage (25%) and placenta accrete spectrum (10.7%). The most frequent sequelae were febrile morbidity (25.7%) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (21.4%). Maternal mortality was 17.1% whereas perinatal mortality was 51.7%.Conclusions: A balanced approach to EOH can prove to be lifesaving at times when conservative surgical modalities fail and interventional radiology is not immediately available. Our study highlights the place of extirpative surgery in modern obstetrics in the face of rising rates of caesarean section and multiple pregnancies particularly in urban settings in developing countries.

Histopathological examination of emergency obstetric hysterectomy specimens

Background: Obstetric hysterectomy is done as a lifesaving procedure in very trying circumstances of life threatening severe hemorrhage. The study was undertaken with the aim to evaluate the relative frequency of hysterectomy done for obstetric indication among the hysterectomy specimens and also to assess the histopathological findings in the hysterectomy specimens.Methods: The study was conducted at a tertiary care center over a period of two and half years. Consecutive specimens of hysterectomy done for obstetrical indication were included. Gross and microscopic findings noted and data analysed. The study was approved by the Institute Ethical Committee.Results: Of the total hysterectomy specimens received obstetrical hysterectomy comprised only 1.3%(12/915) of all the hysterectomies. Patient’s age ranged from 20-36 years; mean 28.6 years. Parity ranged from 1 to 5; mean 2. More multiparous women 91.7%(11/12) had hysterectomies as compared to primiparous 8.3%(1/12) cases                         (p value <0.0001). All patients had single pregnancy. All (100%) patients underwent surgery through abdominal route with subtotal hysterectomy with preservation of the bilateral adnexae undertaken in most (11/12; 91.7% cases). About 5(41.6%) cases hysterectomies were performed after previous caesarean section and had abnormal placentation. Histopathological examination revealed adherent placenta in 33.4%(4/12), endometritis in 25%(3/12), rupture in 25%(3/12) and histologically unremarkable in 16.6%(2/12) cases.Conclusions: Obstetric hysterectomy is an emergency lifesaving procedure done in situations of uncontrolled post-partum hemorrhage. In recent years with more number of caesarean sections the incidence of abnormal placentation has drastically increased, thus making adherent placenta as the most common histopathological finding.

Availability and utilization of emergency obstetric care public health facilities in Zaria, Northern Nigeria

Background: Maternal mortality rates continue to soar high in Northern Nigeria despite all sorts of interventions being put in place. This has necessitated the need to emphasize on Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) to tackle obstetric complications which are the largest direct causes of maternal mortality. The study was conducted to assess the availability of Emergency Obstetric Care facilities in Zaria Local Government Area (LGA) located in Northern Nigeria.Methods: This was a hospital based cross- sectional descriptive study carried out in Zaria LGA. Data was collected from seven public health facilities using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire.Results: The LGA met the WHO requirement for the population served while none of the designated BEOC met the UN criteria for such designation. Only 8% of births took place in the health facilities and 0.7% of deliveries were by caesarean section. The met need for EmOC in Zaria LGA was 25.1%. Human resources were lacking in number and skills. Some key drugs and equipment needed to carry out signal function were also absent.Conclusions: Public health facilities in Zaria did not meet the requirements of the United Nations (UN) process indicators. There is need to upgrade the health facilities with the necessary human resource, equipment and facilities to enable them perform their designated EmOC functions.

Emergency obstretic hysterectomy: a retrospective study in a tertiary care center

Background: Obstetric hysterectomy remains a necessity in preventing maternal mortality in catastrophic rupture of the uterus or intractable postpartum hemorrhage when all the conservative management options fail. Uterine atony followed by abnormal placentation remains the primary indication of emergency obstratic hysterectomy worldwide. In majority of cases, anticipation, prompt resuscitation and earlier surgical intervention by skilled operator will reduce patient’s morbidity and mortality. The first successful operation was performed in 1876. The main objective of the study was to study frequency, indications and fetomaternal outcome of emergency obstetric hysterectomy in tertiary care center.Methods: Observational, retrospective and analytical study was done over 2 years from January 2017 to January 2019. A total of 11 cases of emergency obstretic hysterectomy (EOH) were recorded.Results: The overall incidence was 1.47 per 1000 deliveries. Atonic postpartum hemorrhage (54%) was the most common indication followed by placenta previa (18%) and placenta accreta (9%). Second gravida were mostly involved (45%) with previous LSCS (45%) as a common risk factor in commonest age group of 20-25 years (46%) amongst them. The most frequent squeal was disseminated intravascular coagulation (45%). Maternal mortality was nil while neonatal mortality being 9%. The decision of performing total or subtotal hysterectomy along with bilateral internal iliac ligation was influenced by patient’s condition.Conclusions: Emergency obstretic hysterectomy is the most demanding obstretic surgery performed in circumstances of life threatening hemorrhages where conservative surgical modalities fail and interventional radiology is not immediately available. Antenatal anticipation of the risk factors, involvement of experienced obstetrician at the early stage of management and prompt hystrectomy after adequate rescuitation will reduce fetomaternal mortality and morbidity.

Training of maternal health care providers in newer modalities of management of post-partum haemorrhage

Background: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a life-threatening complication, that occurs suddenly and unexpectedly. Institutional delivery by skilled birth attendant who are trained in active management of third stage of labour and those who can use of Uterine Balloon Tamponade and Non-pneumatic anti shock garment can reduce incidence and morbidity related to PPH. The objective of the paper was to share the experiences of the training programmes held for maternal health care workers in the newer modalities of PPH management.Methods: During one and a half year period, 32 Continuation of Medical Education (CME) programmes, with the theme of “Managing Obstetric Emergencies and Obstetric Trauma”, covering important topics related to high risk pregnancies like Hypertension, Eclampsia ,Anaemia and Haemorrhage at 32 health institutions, spread over 11 states and 2 union territories in India, were conducted .In addition,42 hands on workshops  at various health facilities were conducted with training of more than 2575 maternal health care providers.Results: The pre and post test scores revealed that 95 percent of the maternal health care providers were unaware about the use of Uterine Balloon Tamponade (Bakri balloon) in PPH and Non-pneumatic anti shock garment (NASG). Seventy percent were unaware about the proper sequence of steps of active management of third stage of labour. Training programmes helped to improve the knowledge, whereas hands on workshop, helped in skill development of the health care providers. The participants expressed great satisfaction regarding the knowledge and skills they acquired through training programme on management of post-partum haemorrhage. They gave positive feedback about the quality, contents and conduct of training programme.Conclusions: There is need for refresher training of maternal health care providers in newer modalities like AMTSL, NASG and Bakri balloon, which have potential to save lives.

A prospective study of indications and maternal outcome in case of emergency obstetric hysterectomy in a tertiary care hospital of Gujarat, India

Background: Obstetric hysterectomy was developed as a heroic operation arising out of necessity to control post-partum haemorrhage thereby reducing maternal mortality. The objectives of this study are to examine the incidence, indications, outcomes and complications of obstetric hysterectomy in a tertiary care hospital. It also aims to study the changing trends in incidence and indications in present day obstetric practice.Methods: This is a one-year study including 31 cases of obstetric hysterectomy performed in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in a tertiary care hospital of Gujarat. Each case is analyzed, computed and tabulated as per standard proforma including clinical assessment, questionnaire, examination and investigations.Results: In present study 68% cases were in 21-30 years which is peak reproductive age. 55% patients were from rural areas and 52% cases were having three or more parity. The incidence of obstetric hysterectomy is 0.432% in both vaginal and cesarean deliveries i.e. 1 in 231 deliveries. Major indication for obstetric hysterectomy is morbidly adherent placenta 32% followed by atonic PPH 25.8% and ante partum hemorrhage in 22.58% due to increase in rate of cesarean sections. Most common complication is DIC and maternal mortality in around 16.12%.Conclusions: Obstetric hysterectomy is still a lifesaving surgery in modern day obstetrics. Quick decision for obstetric hysterectomy reduces maternal morbidity and mortality. Most of the morbidity is attributable to its indication and underlying disorder rather than the procedure itself.

Use of non-pneumatic anti shock garment in hemorrhagic shock

Background: Non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG) is a first-aid device that reverses hypovolemic shock and decreases obstetric haemorrhage. It consists of articulated neoprene segments that close tightly with Velcro, shunting blood from the lower body to the core organs, elevating blood pressure and increasing preload and cardiac output. The use of an NASG can stabilize a patient while awaiting transport, during transport, or during delays in receiving care at referral facilities.Methods: A prospective observational study of use of non-pneumatic anti shock garment (NASG) in cases with obstetric hemorrhagic shock was carried out at a tertiary referral center. As soon as severe shock was recognized in the hospital, the anti-shock garment was placed. Data on various parameters related to use of NASG was collected and interpreted to draw conclusions.Results: NASG was used in 25 cases of hemorrhagic shock during one-year period. Post-partum hemorrhage (36%) was the commonest indication for NASG use, followed by ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy (28%). It was observed that 68% and 32 % of women had shock index of 1-1.5 and above 1.5 respectively at the time of application of NASG. The shock index rapidly improved to 0.5-0.9 in 92% and 1-1.5 in 8 percent of cases respectively after the application of NASG. The NASG was mainly used in labour room (40%) and emergency department (36%).  NASG was applied by nurses and doctors together in 64% of cases. NASG was kept for a period 24 hours in 92% cases. The survival rate was 96% following use of NASG.Conclusions: NASG is a temporizing alternative measure in hemorrhagic shock management that shows a trend to reduce hemorrhage related deaths and severe morbidities. NASG should be made available at all health facilities that deal with high risk pregnancies and deliveries.

Inversión uterina puerperal crónica / Chronic puerperal uterine inversion

La inversión uterina es una entidad clínica poco frecuente y grave, descrita como una emergencia obstétrica relacionada con las complicaciones del tercer estadio del parto que necesita tratamiento inmediato, habitualmente quirúrgico. Con este artículo se pretende demostrar a la comunidad científica algunos elementos relacionados con esta, pues es probable que por su baja incidencia, generaciones actuales de obstetras no alcancen asistir una paciente con esta complicación, además por la ausencia de reportes nacionales relacionados con esta entidad. Se presenta una paciente que acudió al hospital, a los 2 meses después del parto, se diagnosticó una inversión uterina puerperal crónica grado II, fue necesario realizar la histerectomía total como tratamiento definitivo, lograron conservarse ambos anejos. La forma de presentación atípica en el cuadro clínico de esta paciente y la posibilidad de mostrar una evidencia gráfica de su presentación clínica y tratamiento quirúrgico, motivaron la presentación de este trabajo.

Uterine inversion is a rare and severe clinical entity described related to obstetric emergency in labor third stage complications, which needs immediate treatment, usually surgery. This article aims to show the scientific community some elements related to this, since it is likely that due to its low incidence, current generations of obstetricians do not assist patients with this complication, apart from the absence of national reports related to this entity. A patient came to the hospital 2 months after delivery, A chronic puerperal uterine inversion grade II was diagnosed. Total hysterectomy was necessary to perform as definitive treatment, achieving to retain both ovaries. The atypical presentation in this patient clinical condition and the ability to display graphic evidence of its clinical presentation and surgical treatment led to the presentation of this paper.

Availability and Quality of Emergency Obstetric Care, an Alternative Strategy to Reduce Maternal Mortality: Experience of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

The burden of maternal mortality (MM) and morbidity is especially high in Asia.However,China has made significant progress in reducing MM over the past two decades,and hence maternal death rate has declined considerably in last decade,To analyze availability and quality of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) received by women at Tongji Hospital,Wuhan,China,this study retrospectively analyzed various pregnancy-related complications at the hospital from 2000 to 2009.Two baseline periods of equal length were used for the comparison of variables.A total of 11 223 obstetric complications leading to MM were identified on a total of 15 730 hospitalizations,either 71.35％ of all activities.No maternal death was recorded.Mean age of women was 29.31 years with a wide range of 14-52 years.About 96.26％ of women had higher levels of schooling,university degrees and above and received the education of secondary school or college.About 3.74％ received primary education at period two (P2) from 2005 to 2009,which was significantly higher than that of period one (P1) from 2000 to 2004 (P＜0.05) (OR:0.586; 95％ CI:0.442 to 0.776).About 65.69％ were employed as skilled or professional workers at P2,which was significantly higher than that of P1 (P＜0.05).About 34.31％ were unskilled workers at P2,which was significantly higher than that of P1 (P＜0.05).Caesarean section was performed for 9,930 women (88.48％) and the percentage of the procedure increased significantly from 19.25％ at P1 to 69.23％ at P2 (P＜0.05).We were led to conclude that,despite the progress,significant gaps in the performance of maternal health services between rural and urban areas remain.However,MM reduction can be achieved in China.Priorities must include,but not limited to the following:secondary healthcare development,health policy and management,strengthening primary healthcare services.

Anesthetic review of emergency peripartum hysterectomy following vaginal and cesarean delivery: a retrospective study / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to review incidence, indications, complications, and the anesthetic management of emergency obstetric hysterectomies. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of the cases of emergency obstetric hysterectomies performed at the Woman's Hospital over a 3 year period between January 2008 and December 2010. The indication for surgery, anesthetic management, operating time, estimated blood loss, pre- and postoperative hemoglobin and hematocrit values, need for blood transfusion, and perioperative complications were obtained. RESULTS: During the study period there were 46 emergency obstetric hysterectomies for 20147 deliveries, giving an incidence of 2.28/1000 deliveries. The number of emergency hysterectomies was significantly higher with the cesarean deliveries than with the vaginal deliveries. The most common indication for emergency obstetric hysterectomy was placenta accreta. Postoperatively, Dissemimated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) was the most common complication. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal placenta has been an main indication of emergency hysterectomy. Anesthesiologists should be eligible to aware of high risk of emergency hysterectomy and deal with massive hemorrhage.

Study of Blood-transfusion Services in Maharashtra and Gujarat States, India.

Blood-transfusion services are vital to maternal health because haemorrhage and anaemia are major causes of maternal death in South Asia. Unfortunately, due to continued governmental negligence, blood-transfusion services in India are a highly-fragmented mix of competing independent and hospital-based blood-banks, serving the needs of urban populations. This paper aims to understand the existing systems of blood-transfusion services in India focusing on Maharashtra and Gujarat states. A mix of methodologies, including literature review (including government documents), analysis of management information system data, and interviews with key officials was used. Results of analysis showed that there are many managerial challenges in blood-transfusion services, which calls for strengthening the planning and monitoring of these services. Maharashtra provides a good model for improvement. Unless this is done, access to blood in rural areas may remain poor.

Maternal Healthcare Financing: Gujarat’s Chiranjeevi Scheme and Its Beneficiaries.

Maternal mortality is an important public-health issue in India, specifically in Gujarat. Contributing factors are the Government’s inability to operationalize the First Referral Units and to provide an adequate level of skilled birth attendants, especially to the poor. In response, the Gujarat state has developed a unique public-private partnership called the Chiranjeevi Scheme. This scheme focuses on institutional delivery, specifically emergency obstetric care for the poor. The objective of the study was to explore the targeting of the scheme, its coverage, and socioeconomic profile of the beneficiaries and to assess financial protection offered by the scheme, if any, in Dahod, one of the initial pilot districts of Gujarat. A household-level survey of beneficiaries (n=262) and non-users (n=394) indicated that the scheme is well-targeted to the poor but many poor people do not use the services. The beneficiaries saved more than Rs 3,000 (US$ 75) in delivery-related expenses and were generally satisfied with the scheme. The study provided insights on how to improve the scheme further. Such a financing scheme could be replicated in other states and countries to address the cost barrier, especially in areas where high numbers of private specialists are available.