Perinatal Mortality Associated with Cesarean Section

Abstract

<h2>Summary</h2> 1. A report is presented of the perinatal mortality associated with cesarean section, with a review of 944 cesarean sections with respect to the factors accounting for the infant loss. 2. The perinatal mortality with cesarean section is approximately twice as high as the over-all perinatal loss in all types of delivery. 3. Neither the type of anesthesia nor the type of operation seemed to have any particular bearing on the ultimate outcome of the newborn. 4. Forty per cent of the perinatal loss can be attributed to asphyxia due to placenta praevia and placentae abruptio. 5. Almost 50 per cent of the perinatal loss can be attributed to emergency situations where there is little chance for fetal salvage. 6. The perinatal mortality in strictly elective cesarean sections is slightly higher than the over-all perinatal mortality. 7. There appears to be an inherent perinatal loss with cesarean section of approximately 1 per cent, in which death could be attributable only to "hyaline membrane disease" or atelectasis. However, of the 8 infants who died of these causes in the elective cesarean sections, 5 were premature. 8. In those cesarean sections indicated by fetopelvic disproportion theperinatal outcome appears to be somewhat better than the over-all loss in alltypes of vaginal delivery. 9. Approximately 10 per cent of the perinatal loss can be attributed directly to prematurity. In an additional 25 per cent, prematurity was a contributing cause leading to death.