The incresed risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome following caesarean section

M.O. Poenaru, A.D. Stănescu, D. Carp, R.M. Sima, L. Pleș

Rezumat: Introduction. The incidence of caesarean sections has shown a global rising, surpassing the optimal level of 15% recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). One of the risks of elective caesarean section for the newborn is represented by a higher incidence of respiratory disorder cases. Methods. We performed a retrospective study over a period of three years (2013-2015) in “Bucur” Maternity - “St. Ioan” Emergency Hospital, regarding the frequency of respiratory disorders in newborns. The study involved newborns resulted from pregnancies of over 34 weeks of amenorrhea. The method of birth, gestational age, sex, APGAR score, blood pH from the umbilical cord, the type of respiratory disorder and applied treatment were analysed. The data was considered statistically significant only for p<0.05. For comparison we excluded the cases where fetal distress constituted indication of the caesarean section. Results. The analysis shows a high incidence of respiratory disorders after birth through caesarean section, more than / of the babies born through caesarean section requiring special care versus approximately / of those born vaginally, for gestational ages lower than 36 weeks. Regarding term pregnancies, the values obtained show the same difference, 25% versus 6%. Conclusions. The gathered data can constitute a base for the reanalysis of the advantages of caesarean sections compared to the maternal and neonatal risks, especially in the case of elective interventions on prematures.
Cuvinte cheie: respiratory distress syndrome, caesarean section, risk factors, prematurity.