title: Post-cesarean section morbidity in HIV-positive women.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Maternal La Fé, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Maiques-Montesinos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cervera-Sanchez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bellver-Pradas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abad-Carrascosa
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Serra-Serra
mesh_terms: 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