Contemporary cesarean delivery practice in the United States
Author Department
Ob/Gyn
Document Type
Article, Peer-reviewed
Publication Date
10-1-2010
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe contemporary cesarean delivery practice in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: Consortium on Safe Labor collected detailed labor and delivery information from 228,668 electronic medical records from 19 hospitals across the United States, 2002-2008. RESULTS: The overall cesarean delivery rate was 30.5%. The 31.2% of nulliparous women were delivered by cesarean section. Prelabor repeat cesarean delivery due to a previous uterine scar contributed 30.9% of all cesarean sections. The 28.8% of women with a uterine scar had a trial of labor and the success rate was 57.1%. The 43.8% women attempting vaginal delivery had induction. Half of cesarean for dystocia in induced labor were performed before 6 cm of cervical dilation. CONCLUSION: To decrease cesarean delivery rate in the United States, reducing primary cesarean delivery is the key. Increasing vaginal birth after previous cesarean rate is urgently needed. Cesarean section for dystocia should be avoided before the active phase is established, particularly in nulliparous women and in induced labor. Published by Mosby, Inc.
Publication ISSN
0884-8734
Recommended Citation
Zhang J, Troendle J, Reddy UM, Laughon SK, Branch DW, Burkman R, Landy HJ, Hibbard JU, Haberman S, Ramirez MM, Bailit JL, Hoffman MK, Gregory KD, Gonzalez-Quintero VH, Kominiarek M, Learman LA, Hatjis CG, van Veldhuisen P; Consortium on Safe Labor. Contemporary cesarean delivery practice in the United States Am J Obstet Gynecol 2010 Oct;203(4):326.e1-326.e.