Caesarean Delivery and Peripartum Hysterectomy

Caesarean section, the most commonly performed surgical operation in the world, is an operative technique by which a foetus is delivered through an incision in the uterus. It is now a safer procedure than in previous years. This chapter discusses the incidence, classification and indication for caesarean section. It describes the management of caesarean section in labour, surgical techniques of caesarean section and management of commonly associated complications in developing countries. This chapter highlights factors to justify the choice of anaesthesia for caesarean section and lists risk management issues in caesarean section. This chapter further discusses the growing prevalence of caesarean delivery and consequent challenges of peripartum (caesarean/postpartum) hysterectomy in the presence of life-threatening bleeding due to placental accreta/percreta that obstetricians now face. The indications for the perimortem caesarean section are also discussed. Obstetricians need to consider long-term reproductive outcomes when contemplating primary caesarean delivery without sound medical indications. This chapter seeks to encourage them to take adequate measures towards the birth of healthy babies and the well-being of mothers.