Prevalence and clinical significance of postpartum endometritis and wound infection

Objective To correlate clinical variables (gestational age, severe pregnancy‐induced hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus, history of previous cesarean sections, fetal distress, perinatal mortality, postpartum anemia, Apgar score ≤3 at 1 minute and ≤7 at 5 minutes, and instrumental delivery) with postpartum endometritis (PPE) and wound infection. Methods Descriptive cross‐sectional study of the outcome of 75,947 term and preterm singleton deliveries; vaginally and by cesarean section from 1989–1997. Results The prevalence of PPE after vaginal deliveries was 0.17% (120/68,273). Gestational age of less than 37 weeks, severe pregnancy‐induced hypertension, fetal distress, instrumental deliveries, neonatal mortality, postpartum anemia, and Apgar scores of