The mounting rate of cesarean sections. Is it accompanied by a drop in instrumental births?

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the overall increase in rate of cesarean sections is accompanied by a parallel decrease in instrumental births.

METHODS

A retrospective study carried out at the Queen Alia Military Hospital, Amman, Jordan. The records of all deliveries from January 1992 to December 2006 were reviewed, and analyzed. Points considered were the mode of delivery, indication, and any complication that might have ensued.

RESULTS

During the 15-year period, there were 53194 deliveries. There were 5599 cesarean sections with an overall incidence of 10.5%, 1506 (2.8%) had a successful vacuum delivery, while only 370 (0.7%) had a forceps delivery. There was a statistically significant decrease in the use of both the vacuum extractor and the forceps after the new millennium, as compared to the last 7 years of the 20th century.

CONCLUSION

The rising rate of cesarean sections at our hospital was accompanied by a drop in the rate of both the forceps and the ventous extractor.