Post-cesarean section morbidity in HIV-positive women.
BACKGROUND
The present work is an audit of post-cesarean section morbidity in HIV-positive women in the tertiary teaching hospital La Fé, Valencia, Spain.


METHODS
Retrospective case-control study.


METHODS
Forty-five HIV-positive pregnant women and 90 appropriately matched controls, delivered by cesarean section in the same hospital and managed using a uniform protocol.


METHODS
The duration of stay in hospital after cesarean section, the need for postoperative antibiotics and the incidence of major and minor puerperal complications. Baseline characteristics of HIV-positive women were also analyzed in relation to the morbidity after surgery.


METHODS
Chi-square analysis for categorical data and parametric and non-parametric tests for numerical data, where appropriate.


RESULTS
Most HIV-positive women (86.7%) had a complicated recovery after surgery. A longer duration of stay in hospital (p<0.0005) and a greater incidence of major (p<0.003) and minor (p<0.00001) postoperative complications were observed in the HIV-positive group compared to the control group. HIV-positive women with > or =500 CD4 lymphocytes/mm3 had less post-cesarean section morbidity


CONCLUSIONS
A greater post-cesarean section morbidity was found in HIV-positive women compared to the control women. Immunological status of HIV-positive women may be important in predicting puerperal morbidity after surgery.
Maiques-Montesinos
V
V
Hospital Maternal La Fé, Valencia, Spain.
Cervera-Sanchez
J
J
Bellver-Pradas
J
J
Abad-Carrascosa
A
A
Serra-Serra
V
V
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D009017:Morbidity; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain