Tubal Ligation under Local Anesthesia in a Country with Limited Resources: 56 Cases of Wife and Husband’s Experience in the Gynecology-Obstetrics Department of Ignace Deen National Teaching Hospital, Conakry, Guinea

Abstract

Tubal ligation is a surgical sterilization procedure that provides permanent and reliable contraception to women. Tubal obstruction is a method of permanent birth control that can be performed after mini-laparotomy under local anesthesia. Objective: To determine the outcome of tubal sterilizations by mini-laparotomy under local anesthesia performed in clients who underwent the surgical operation in the Maternity Ward of Ignace Deen National Hospital. Patients and Methods: The Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of Ignace Deen National Hospital was used as the place for the study. The study involved all the women seeking voluntary surgical contraception. This was a retrospective study of a descriptive type carried out from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018. A consent form was filled out and signed by spouses after an interview and a systematically carried out pre-operative clinical and para-clinical assessment. Results: During the study period, 56 tubal ligations were performed i.e. 4.72 percent of all family planning methods. The recruiting for the surgical contraception involved clients whose typical profile is that of women with an average age of 35, mostly housewives (35.71%), major multiparous (69.63%) with 6 living children on average. Married women made up the bulk of the recruiting i.e. 96.44%. Unmarried women made much more use of other methods. Indications of personal convenience were the most frequently encountered common reason. Among medical causes, high blood pressure concerned the majority of cases: 38% of the indications. Surgical contraception in between was more practiced than the post-partum one. The recorded complication was the parietal hematoma due to a lack of hemostasis and it accounted for 1.79% of cases. The progress was uncomplicated in 98.68% of cases. Forty couples (71.42%) expressed their feelings of satisfaction against only 6 cases of regret (10.71%). Conclusion: The surgical contraception has become a requirement for modern couples. Tubal ligation by mini-laparotomy is a simple operation and a harmless method of contraception that allows clients to use permanent contraception. Carried out on an outpatient basis, incidents and accidents are rare and may have psychological repercussions that are difficult to assess. The technical mastery of the gesture helps to minimize these incidents.