Infection following caesarean section.

In a prospective clinical study of post-operative infection in 124 patients undergoing Caesarean section, 39 (31.5%) patients developed a total of 45 infections. There was no significant difference in infection rates between elective and emergency procedures. Five patients (4%) developed endometritis, wound infection was found in 14 (11.3%) and 18 patients (14.5%) developed a post-operative urinary tract infection. Pre-operative C-reactive protein levels and intraoperative swabs of the uterine cavity were not helpful in the early detection of endometritis. The risk factors predisposing to post-caesarean infection were obesity and low socioeconomic status.