Obstructed labor; risk factors and outcome among women delivered in a tertiary care hospital

ABSTRACT

The women of developing countries are at risk of pregnancy-related complications including pre-eclampsia/ eclampsia, obstructed labor, sepsis etc. Obstructed labor results due to three delays while woman is full term and is in labor. If detected and managed early and correctly, the pregnancies can be made safe and may result in birth of healthy babies. [1] To assess frequency of obstructed labor among pregnant women. [2]To determine socio-demographic risk factors associated with obstructed labor among study population. [3]To determine outcomes of obstructed labor among pregnant women. It was a hospital based descriptive cross sectional study. Two months. Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics units I, II and III of Liaquat University Hospital [LUH] Hyderabad. To estimate the frequency, risk factors and outcomes of obstructed labor as of third trimester adverse pregnancy outcomes and to seek association of this adverse pregnancy outcome with the socio-demographic characteristics of the pregnant women i.e. their age, residence, parity, level of education and socio economic class. Out of total six hundred and nine women enrolled in the study, only 22 [3.61%] were in obstructed labor. 63.64% of them were of age > 30 years. More than 60% women in obstructed labor had reported from rural areas; and more than eighty percent of them were illiterate and belonged to lower socio-economic class. Only 4.55% of the women in obstructed labor were the booked cases. All the cases of obstructed labor were at full term. Cesarean section was done on 90.90% women. Not a single maternal mortality was reported among women enrolled in the study as obstructed labor. Neglected obstructed labor is a major public health issue. It can be avoided by addressing various socio-demographic determinants of pregnant women