# 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.

## Key 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.