Cesarean section: a contemporary assessment.

A one-year retrospective study of cesarean section (CS) at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island is reported. There were 5,467 women delivered, including 1,011 who delivered by CS, yielding a total CS rate of 18.5% and a primary rate of 13.4%. The four leading indications for primary CS were: dystocia (38.8%), breech presentation (14.9%), malposition (11.9%) and fetal distress (11.3%). Sepsis was responsible for 75% of the complications. The incidence of low-birth-weight infants was 14.2% for primary CS and 6.7% for repeat CS. The perinatal death rate was 21.2% per 1,000. The relationship of these findings to changing obstetric practice is discussed.