Caesarean delivery in the Limbé and the Buea regional hospitals, Cameroon: frequency, indications and outcomes

Neonatal outcomes can be directly and indirectly affected by caesarean delivery (CD). Data on CD rates in semi-urban and rural hospitals in resource-limited settings are scarce and yet are needed to better guide the care of women and neonates in these settings. we carried out this study to determine the frequency of CD, its indications and the frequency of the various adverse neonatal outcomes (ANO) in the Limbe Regional Hospital (LRH) and the Buea Regional Hospital (BRH), Cameroon. We also assessed the relationship between the indication for CD and ANO in the said hospitals. This was a hospital-based retrospective and prospective cross-sectional study using descriptive and analytic methods conducted in the LRH and the BRH maternity units within a nine months period in 2015. Informed consent was obtainedfrom mothers of the neonates. Data analyses were performed using Epi-Info 3.5.4 software. We recruited 199 neonates born through CD. The prevalence of CD was 13.3% with cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) being the most frequent (32.2%) indication for CD. There were 52 (26.1%) ANO following CD and respiratory distress was the most common 24 (46.2%) of all ANO. Emergency indications for CD were associated with more ANO 49 (34.5%) as compared to elective indications for CD 3 (5.3%) [p-value