Infections in Cesarean Section Wound and its Associated Risk Factors

Abstract

Objective: To find out how commonly infections occur in cesarean section skin wound in post operative period and what factors are commonly encountered in these patients. Design: Descriptive Case Series. Setting: Obs & Gynae Deptt., Nishtar Hospital Multan (NHM). Duration of Study: Six Months. Subjects and Methodology: 121 patients undergoing cesarean section due to various reasons were enrolled in this research. These subjects were followed till 30 days of the procedure and examined through this interval for presence/absence of wound infection . These patients were evaluated for the presence of anemia, PIH/ pre-eclampsia, DM , PROM, obesity & type of cesarean section. Results: Age range was 18 to 45 yrs & Mean calculated i.e 28.289±2.74 years, mean gestational age 37.983±1.75 weeks, mean BMI 26.281±1.47 Kg/m2 and mean parity was 1.545±1.17. Post cesarean wound infection was seen in 9.9% patients. Factors leading to post-cesarean section wound infection were anemia found in 16.7%, diabetes mellitus in 16.7%, PROM in 16.7%, hypertension in 25%, obesity in 75%, emergency caesarean section in 75% and elective caesarean section in 25% were noted. Conclusion: Identification of causative factors of cesarean section wound infection, their correction and modification may help reduce wound infection rates among postoperative patients leading to reduction in maternal morbidity. Keywords: Cesarean section, Wound infection, Factors leading to wound infection.