Case-control study on determinants of uterine rupture among mothers who gave birth at Hawassa University comprehensive specialized hospital

BACKGROUND: Uterine rupture is defined as tearing of the uterine wall during pregnancy or delivery. It can occur during pregnancy or labor and delivery. Rupture of the uterus is a catastrophic event resulting in the death of the baby, and severe maternal morbidity and mortality Despite different interventions done by stakeholders, it remained one of the leading public problems in developing countries like Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the prevalence and determinants of uterine rupture among mothers who gave birth at Hawassa University comprehensive specialized hospital from July 2015 to June 2020G.C. METHOD: A case-control study was conducted by reviewing data from a total of 582 patient charts which include 194 cases and 388 controls with a case-to-control ratio of 1:2. Then the data was extracted using a pre-tested and structured data extraction sheet. Data were entered using Epi data 3.1 and exported to SPSS and analyzed using SPSS 20. The association between independent variables and uterine rupture was estimated using an odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals. The statistical significance of the association was declared at P-value < 0.05. RESULT: There were a total of 22,586 deliveries and 247 confirmed cases of uterine rupture which makes the prevalence 1.09%. Lack of ANC (Ante-natal care) (AOR = 7.5; 95% CI: 1.9–30.3) inadequate ANC (AOR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.1–5.57), gravidity ≥5 (AOR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.36–8.12), obstructed labor (AOR = 38.3; 95% CI: 17.8–82.4) and fetal macrosomia (AOR = 8; 95% CI: 17.8–82.4) are variables which increase the odds of developing uterine rupture. Mothers without additional medical or obstetric conditions are more likely (AOR = 4.2; 95% CI: 2.1–8.65) to develop uterine rupture than mothers with additional medical or obstetric conditions. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of uterine rupture is high in the study area. The study also revealed that a decrease in ANC follow-up, gravidity of ≥5, obstructed labor, and fetal weight of >4kg are significantly associated with uterine rupture. Improving the quality of ANC follow-up, intrapartum follow-up and proper estimation of fetal weight are recommended interventions from the study.