Publication:

Emergency obstetric hysterectomy: experience at a tertiary care centre in Central India

Background Obstetric hysterectomy is an important procedure in modern obstetrics and its proper indications, risks and complications need to be studied for judicious usage and improvement in outcome.

Methods A retrospective, record-based study was carried out over one and a half years at a tertiary care government hospital. All the patients who underwent emergency obstetric hysterectomy at the study centre during study period were studied. Labour room register, operation room register for emergency and elective cases, case records, referral slips and mortality register data were reviewed for the same and outcomes analysed.

Results Total 33 patients underwent emergency obstetric hysterectomy, with the incidence observed at 0.21%. The most common indications were atonic post-partum hemorrhage (42.4%), uterine rupture (33.3%) and morbidly adherent placenta (18.1%). Prior cesarean section (36.4%) and placenta previa (15.1%) were the commonest predisposing factors associated with PPH and uterine rupture. Subtotal hysterectomy (66.7%) was observed to be the preferred type of surgery. Out of total 7 maternal deaths that occurred, 4 (57%) were because of disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Conclusions There is increasing trend in the rate of obstetric hysterectomy along with rise in rate of previous LSCS, emphasizing the importance of the mode of delivery. Measures to reduce the rate of primary cesarean section are advisable.