title: A study of prolonged labour.
abstract: Two hundred and three consecutive cases of prolonged labour have been retrospectively reviewed from January 1984 to December 1986. The incidence of prolonged labour was 4.39%. It was noted that 66.5% of the patients with prolonged labour were unbooked emergency admissions, and 73.3% were primipara. The causes of prolonged labour were the occipitoposterior position (10.8%), relative cephalopelvie disproportion (18.2%), uterine dysfunction (44.5%), and in 26.1% an obstructive cause was present. A spontaneous vaginal delivery occurred in 34.4%, a forceps delivery in 22.6% and the caesarean section rate was 29%. The maternal mortality, febrile and non-febrile morbidity were 9.7 per 1000 total births, 42.8% and 17.2% respectively, which showed a direct relation to the duration of labour, and a significant increase in the patients with obstructed labour, and after an abdominal delivery. The corrected perinatal mortality was 165 per 1000 total births, which was also directly related to the duration of labour, and 74.3% of the perinatal deaths occurred in the patients with obstructed labour. The perinatal mortality in the study group was nearly three times higher than the overall hospital group. Neonatal morbidity occurred in 48.8% of the newborns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Kamla Nehru Hospital, Shimla.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Randhawa
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanwal
mesh_terms: D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007746:Labor Presentation; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors