Abstract

Background: Obstetric complications can vary from one clinical setting to another and this can be influenced by the socio-demographic characteristics of the mother and the availability of quality maternal health services. Both obstetric complications and foetal presenting parts and lie can influence the mode of delivery.


Aim: The present study aimed to determine the relationship between mode of delivery with obstetrics complications and foetal presentation.


Methodology: The study was a 5-year retrospective study of all deliveries from April 1st, 2018- 31st March 2023, at the study centre. Data such as maternal age, parity, booking status, type of gestation, gestational age, foetal presentation, mode of delivery and maternal diagnosis were extracted from the labour room register at the study centre. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21 and continuous and categorical data had their respective means and frequencies determined. The caesarean section (CS) due to obstetric complications and the CS rate due to abnormal foetal presentation were determined using a frequency table. Additionally, binary logistic regression was used to determine the more important predictor of CS between the obstetric complication and abnormal foetal presentation.


Results: There were 810 deliveries during the study period with 404 (49.9%) primiparas and 544 (67.1%) mothers were in the age range of 20-34 years. The CS rate was 57.0%, while 0.2% (2) had forceps deliveries. One hundred and thirty-seven (16.5%) mothers had hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, 41 (5.1%) mothers had isolated abnormal presentation/lie and 39 (4.8%) came with foetal distress. The occipito-anterior (OA) presentation was the commonest foetal presentation.Obstructed labour and foetal distress accounted for majority of the CS, however, abnormal presentation was the most important predictor of CS.


Conclusion: While the common obstetric complications in the study facility were hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, abnormal presentation and foetal distress, abnormal foetal presentation was the most important predictor of C/S.