Mechanical Dilatation vs Non Dilatation of the Cervix at Elective Caesarean Section to Reduce Post-Operative Blood Loss A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

SUMMARY O bstetric hemorrhage remains one of the major causes of maternal death in both developed and developing countries. Because of its importance as a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity, and because of evidence of substandard care in the majority of fatal cases, obstetric hemorrhage must be considered as a priority topic for national guideline development. Some obstetricians believe that the cervix of women at non-labour caesarean section is undilated and might cause obstruction of blood or lochia drainage, leading to postpartum haemorrhage and endometritis from collection of lochia or debris. Dilatation of the cervix helps with the drainage of blood during postpartum, reducing intrauterine infection or the risk of postpartum haemor¬rhage. To avoid this problem, some obstetricians routinely dilate the cervix from above during an elective/non-labour caesarean sec¬tion using finger, sponge forceps or other instruments This study included 200 pregnant women who attended labor ward to undergo elective cesarean section This clinical trial was conducted at Ain-Shams University Maternity Hospital Cairo Egypt those women were divided into two groups, Group A 100 women who underwent mechanical dilatation and Group B who included 100 women who didn’t undergo mechanical dilatation.