Caesarean rates pose safety challenge
Tuesday June 4th, 2013
Rising rates of birth by Caesarean section in the UK are posing massive challenges for anaesthetists, a conference heard yesterday.
As
many as 15% of babies born in Britain are now delivered through emergency
caesarean procedures - and women will often need a general anaesthetic,
the European Society of Anaesthesiology, meeting in Barcelona, Spain,
heard.
Another 10% of births take place through planned procedures. The World Health Organisation says the national rate of Caesarean section should be just 15%.
Doctors said there were a range of reasons for this including the increased age at which women give birth and growing rates of obesity.
Pressure from some women to have planned operations might also put them at risk of needing emergency procedures when they had further babies.
Dr Geraldine O'Sullivan of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, told the conference: "The increased Caesarean section rate is putting anaesthesia, obstetric, and midwife teams under much greater strain at a time when there are increasingly reduced resources across healthcare systems in Europe."
Dr Tony Falconer, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "We are seeing a more complicated case load with the rising levels of obesity, multiple births and older mothers.
"These complex deliveries require the presence of senior medical staff and support the case for more consultants on labour wards. This may impact on lowering the c-section rate and will improve safety for mother and baby."
Midwife leaders said there was still scope to discourage women from seeking to give birth by Caesarean section.
Louise Silverton, of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “We would encourage women to talk about their birth with their midwife or doctor so that they are fully aware of the implications of decisions they may make not just about having a caesarean section, but these other aspects of birth also.
"We need to ensure that women have more time with midwives in the antenatal period to discuss these issues."
Tags: Childbirth and Pregnancy | Europe | Pain Relief | UK News | Women's Health & Gynaecology
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