Caesarean section rates and their indications vary all over the world. Audit of indications and factors affecting infant and maternal outcome remain an important activity in rationalising the use of this major procedure in obstetric practice. Over a period of one year in 1998, 1,880 caesarean...
Download PDF ↓There are few documented studies of human umbilical cord length and its insertion into the chorionic plate. However abnormal umbilical cord length (either excessive or shortened) is a known risk factor for adverse perinatal outcome. Long cords have been associated with cord prolapse,...
Download PDF ↓Background: Despite antenatal care services being provided free of charge or sometimes at a minimal cost in Zambia, only 19% of women attend antenatal care by their fourth month of pregnancy, as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). An estimated 21% of pregnant women in urban and 18% in...
Download PDF ↓Worldwide use of the partograph in monitoring of labour has been proven to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Zambia has one of the highest maternal mortality in the world. The eastern Province of Zambia, particularly Chipata District had the highest levels accounting for 76% of...
Pregnancy is usually an exciting time in the life of a family. It is a joyous event for most families as they anticipate bringing new life on earth. Sometimes a pregnant woman may experience signs and symptoms which signal danger. Danger signs in pregnancy are those signs that a pregnant woman...
Download PDF ↓Maternal mortality in developed countries has declined dramatically over the last 60 years, and is now very low. Women in industrialized countries have an average lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes of between 1 in 4000 and 1 in 10,000 pregnancies whereas women in developing...
Download PDF ↓Background For every maternal death there are many others who suffer serious life- threatening complications of pregnancy, referred to as ‘near miss’ morbidity. In the past, maternal audit using deaths have traditionally been used to improve maternal health outcomes. Reviews of cases of survivors...
Download PDF ↓The teenage period is between 12 and 19 years. Pregnancy in the teenager poses special social, psycological and medical risks both to the mother and her offsping. Because of the physical, physiological and emotional immaturity of the adolescent period, pregnant teenagers are prone to developing...
Download PDF ↓The rate of caesarean section has been increasing in the last fifty years. A previous caesarean section has also steadily become a leading indication to perform a caesarean section. With the realization that caesarean section has got its own risks, and the strain on medical costs, the strategy...
Download PDF ↓This study is aimed at identifying the post-caesarean section complications and risk factors in the University Teaching Hospital. The post-caesarean section complications were determined after closely following up 300 patients who had undergone caesarean delivery from 1st January 2005 to 30th...