Obstetric hysterectomy in rural Democratic Republic of the Congo: an analysis of 40 cases at Katwa Hospital.

The objective of this study was to determine the incidence, indication, and outcome of obstetric hysterectomy at an Eastern DRC rural hospital. This was a seven year retrospective study. The incidence was 0.28%. Mean age and parity of patients was 35.8 and 7 respectively. Trend to have Obstetric Hysterectomy increased with an age of = 35 years and parity of = 5. The main indications were Post-Partum Hemorrhage (PPH) (40%) and Ruptured Uterus (27.5%). Maternal mortality was 5% compared to 0.18% for Caesarean practiced at the same study period; and perinatal mortality 35.5%. Most indications could be avoided by improvement of Obstetric care.