Destructive operations still have a place in developing countries.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the place of destructive operations in developing countries in patients arriving late in labor with a dead fetus and advanced infection, and to compare them with LSCS for patients with similar indications.

METHODS

A total of 56 cases of destructive operations were carried out on patients with obstructed labor and intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) from the labor wards of Smt. S.K. Hospital from January 1985 to December 1991. These were compared with 27 cases of LSCS done for similar indications during the years 1989 to 1990.

RESULTS

Patients treated with destructive operations had no maternal deaths, had very few complications and required a short hospital stay. Patients treated by LSCS, however, had one maternal death and complications such as post-partum hemorrhage, incidence of blood transfusion, post-operative shock, post-operative pyrexia and duration of hospital stay were more frequent.

CONCLUSIONS

It is felt that in some properly selected cases presenting late with obstructed labor, IUFD and intrauterine sepsis, destructive operations should be performed as first choice. Thus, destructive operations still have a limited place in developing countries and are safer than LSCS for these patients.