Practice of episiotomy and related maternal and neonatal factors

Abstract

Episiotomy consists of a surgical incision performed at the moment the infant is expelled. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of episiotomy and its association with maternal and neonatal factors at two public maternity hospitals. The study population consisted of parturients who experienced natural childbirth in the period between June 2009 and May 2010, through the review of medical records. Analysis included 1,129 medical records. Episiotomy was used in 57.55% (n=636) of all natural childbirths and in 83.7% (n=325) of the deliveries involving primiparous women. The association between the use of episiotomy and primiparity is statistically significant (p<0.001). Data suggest the association of episiotomy with an increase in the risk of severe lacerations (p<0.001). The use of episiotomy was found to be similar in the two maternity hospitals. The results of this study confirm the indiscriminate use of episiotomy and point out the need for proposal strategies aimed at reducing the use of this technique.

Descriptors: Obstetrical Nursing; Episiotomy; Natural Childbirth; Perineum.