Indications and rate of first cesarean delivery in central region’s maternity and children hospital

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the indications of first (non-repeated) cesarean deliveries, to categorize those indications into absolute and relative according to established guidelines of cesarean deliveries, and to compare the women with absolute and relative indications by demography and pregnancy-related attributes. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of delivery data between September and October 2018, at the Maternity and Children Hospital, Buraidah, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Indications for cesarean deliveries of 200 primary cases were abstracted and were categorized into ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ according to the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany guidelines. RESULTS: The leading indications were fetal distress (27.5%), non-progression of labor (22.5%), breech presentation (18%), and failed initiation of labor (4.5%). Of the 200 cases, 26.5% had absolute indications, 50% had relative indications, and 23.5% had indications that were neither absolute nor relative. Women with absolute indications had lower mean gestational age and a higher proportion with >3 gravida than women with relative indications (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The most common indications for first time cesarean, in decreasing order of frequency, were fetal distress, non-progression of labor, and breech presentation.