Prevalence and risk of adverse intrapartum-related outcomes in Uganda: a cross-sectional study with nested case–control

TL;DR

This study in Uganda finds that intrapartum complications are common and lead to poor outcomes for newborns, with emergency interventions not always effective in reducing risks.

Contribution

The study identifies specific maternal risk factors and evaluates the effectiveness of emergency interventions in reducing intrapartum-related neonatal encephalopathy.

Findings

10.2% of births had adverse perinatal outcomes, with the highest rates among mothers with antepartum haemorrhage or prolonged/obstructed labour.

Emergency caesarean section reduced the risk of IP-NE in cases of prolonged/obstructed labour but not in other risk groups.

Emergency interventions may not be timely or effective enough to prevent IP-NE in most obstetric risk groups.

Abstract

Intrapartum-related complications are a leading cause of adverse perinatal outcomes, including stillbirths, neonatal deaths and intrapartum-related neonatal encephalopathy (IP-NE). We assessed the prevalence of adverse intrapartum-related outcomes, evaluated the association between IP-NE and obstetric and fetal risk factors, and examined whether emergency referral and emergency caesarean section (CS) modified this association through interaction effects.

Cross-sectional with a nested case–control study.

Two hospitals in rural Eastern Uganda.

Women giving birth to a live or stillborn baby weighing >2000 g between June and December 2022.

We used prospectively collected perinatal e-registry data to assess the prevalence of adverse perinatal outcomes. Logistic regression with interaction with postregression margins analysis was used to determine the association between IP-NE and emergency referral and emergency CS across risk groups of hypertensive disorders, antepartum haemorrhage, prolonged/obstructed labour and birth weight.

Adverse perinatal outcomes were stillbirths, 24-hour neonatal deaths and IP-NE (defined as Apgar score <7 at 5 min, cord blood lactate ≥5.5 mmol/L and Thompson score ≥5).

Of 6550 births, 10.2% had an adverse perinatal outcome: 3.8% stillbirths, 0.6% neonatal deaths and 5.7% IP-NE. Adverse outcomes were higher among neonates whose mothers had antepartum haemorrhage (31.3%) or prolonged/obstructed labour (27.2%) compared with those whose mothers had no complications. Emergency referral and CS did not change the association between IP-NE and obstetric risk, except in prolonged/obstructed labour. Without emergency CS, the predicted probability of IP-NE was 0.73 (95% CI 0.51 to 0.95); with CS, it decreased to 0.45 (95% CI 0.39 to 0.50).

Neonates born to mothers with obstetric complications had low healthy survival rates. Emergency referral and CS did not alter the risks of IP-NE in women with obstetric complications except for obstructed or prolonged labour, highlighting that these interventions may not be implemented with sufficient timeliness or quality, and/or that additional, more targeted strategies beyond referral and CS are needed to address IP-NE.

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