Table 2:

Perinatal and maternal outcomes by attempted midpelvic operative vaginal and cesarean deliveries with dystocia and prolonged second stage of labour (n = 17 484)*

OutcomeNo. (%) of cesarean deliveries
n = 9300
Attempted midpelvic forceps delivery
n = 4741
Attempted midpelvic vacuum delivery
n = 2780
Attempted midpelvic sequential operative vaginal delivery
n = 663
No. (%)AOR (95% CI)No. (%)AOR (95% CI)No. (%)AOR (95% CI)
Severe perinatal morbidity/mortality61 (0.7)52 (1.1)1.81 (1.24 to 2.64)32 (1.2)1.81 (1.17 to 2.80)13 (2.0)3.19 (1.73 to 5.88)
 Stillbirth0 (0.0)0 (0.0)< 5 (< 0.2)0 (0.0)
 Neonatal death0 (0.0)< 5 (< 0.1)< 5 (< 0.2)0 (0.0)
 Neonatal convulsion16 (0.2)8 (0.2)0.98 (0.42 to 2.29)†††6 (0.2)1.26 (0.49 to 3.21)†††< 5 (< 0.8)1.76 (0.40 to 7.65)†††
 Assisted ventilation (endotracheal)35 (0.4)10 (0.2)0.55 (0.27 to 1.13)9 (0.3)0.80 (0.38 to 1.67)< 5 (< 0.8)0.74 (0.18 to 3.08)
 Severe birth trauma16 (0.2)35 (0.7)5.01 (2.75 to 9.15)19 (0.7)4.47 (2.27 to 8.80)9 (1.4)9.46 (4.11 to 21.8)
Respiratory distress§302 (3.3)188 (4.0)1.25 (1.04 to 1.51)116 (4.2)1.29 (1.03 to 1.61)47 (7.1)2.29 (1.66 to 3.16)
Assisted ventilation140 (1.5)63 (1.3)0.81 (0.60 to 1.10)37 (1.3)0.79 (0.54 to 1.14)12 (1.8)1.12 (0.61 to 2.05)
Fetal asphyxia23 (0.3)9 (0.2)0.77 (0.36 to 1.66)†††< 5 (< 0.2)0.44 (0.13 to 1.45)†††< 5 (< 0.8)1.22 (0.29 to 5.19)†††
Birth asphyxia19 (0.2)8 (0.2)0.83 (0.36 to 1.89)†††12 (0.4)2.12 (1.03 to 4.37)†††< 5 (< 0.8)1.48 (0.34 to 6.36)†††
Intracranial hemorrhage due to hypoxia< 5 (< 0.1)< 5 (< 0.1)1.96 (0.28 to 13.9)†††8 (0.3)13.4 (2.85 to 63.2)†††< 5 (< 0.8)14.1 (1.98 to 100)†††
Cardiac failure/dysrhythmia120 (1.3)67 (1.4)1.09 (0.80 to 1.47)47 (1.7)1.14 (0.80 to 1.62)18 (2.7)1.91 (1.15 to 3.18)
Severe cerebral morbidity**16 (0.2)18 (0.4)2.21 (1.13 to 4.34)†††< 5 (< 0.2)0.42 (0.10 to 1.82)†††< 5 (< 0.8)3.52 (1.17 to 10.6)†††
Birth trauma††194 (2.1)304 (6.4)3.23 (2.68 to 3.88)307 (11.0)5.40 (4.47 to 6.52)100 (15.1)7.92 (6.11 to 10.3)
Meconium aspiration syndrome11 (0.1)9 (0.2)1.61 (0.67 to 3.88)†††10 (0.4)3.05 (1.29 to 7.19)†††< 5 (< 0.8)2.56 (0.57 to 11.6)†††
Bacterial sepsis29 (0.3)28 (0.6)1.90 (1.13 to 3.20)†††6 (0.2)0.69 (0.29 to 1.67)†††0 (0.0)
Severe maternal morbidity/mortality153 (1.7)83 (1.8)1.19 (0.91 to 1.57)38 (1.4)0.87 (0.60 to 1.25)13 (2.0)1.26 (0.71 to 2.25)
 Maternal death0 (0.0)0 (0.0)0 (0.0)0 (0.0)
 Severe postpartum hemorrhage‡‡97 (1.0)64 (1.4)1.51 (1.09 to 2.09)26 (0.9)0.92 (0.59 to 1.44)13 (2.0)2.00 (1.10 to 3.62)
 Shock< 5 (< 0.1)< 5 (< 0.1)0.98 (0.18 to 5.36)†††< 5 (< 0.2)0.84 (0.09 to 7.49)†††0 (0.0)
 Sepsis20 (0.2)8 (0.2)0.78 (0.35 to 1.78)†††5 (0.2)0.84 (0.31 to 2.23)†††0 (0.0)
 Cardiac complication§§36 (0.4)7 (0.2)0.38 (0.17 to 0.86)†††6 (0.2)0.56 (0.23 to 1.32)†††0 (0.0)
 Acute renal failure< 5 (< 0.1)< 5 (< 0.1)< 5 (< 0.2)0 (0.0)
 Obstetric embolism5 (0.1)0 (0.0)< 5 (< 0.2)0 (0.0)
 Evacuation incisional hematoma< 5 (< 0.1)< 5 (< 0.1)0 (0.0)0 (0.0)
Obstetric trauma¶¶589 (6.3)1085 (22.9)4.51 (4.04 to 5.02)427 (15.4)2.70 (2.35 to 3.09)147 (22.2)4.24 (3.46 to 5.19)
 Perineal laceration 3rd/4th degree< 5 (< 0.1)888 (18.7)341 (12.3)135 (20.4)
 Uterine incision extension268 (2.9)13 (0.3)0.11 (0.06 to 0.19)21 (0.8)0.29 (0.18 to 0.46)< 5 (< 0.8)0.06 (0.01 to 0.40)
Postpartum infection***126 (1.4)34 (0.7)0.54 (0.37 to 0.79)22 (0.8)0.60 (0.38 to 0.95)8 (1.2)0.87 (0.42 to 1.80)
Postpartum hemorrhage668 (7.2)792 (16.7)2.77 (2.48 to 3.10)323 (11.6)1.61 (1.39 to 1.86)111 (16.7)2.54 (2.03 to 3.17)
  • Note: AOR = adjusted odds ratio, CI = confidence interval, CNS = central nervous system, PNS = peripheral nervous system.

  • * Adjusted odds ratios were estimated using logistic regression, with cesarean delivery as the reference group.

  • All models were adjusted for maternal age, parity, birth weight, previous cesarean delivery, province and fiscal year.

  • We included intracranial laceration and hemorrhage, skull fracture, severe injury to the CNS, severe injury to the PNS, long bone injury, subaponeurotic (subgaleal) hemorrhage, and injury to the liver and spleen.

  • § We included respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea of the newborn and other neonatal respiratory distress.

  • We included resuscitation, chest compression, endotracheal respiratory assistance, mechanical respiratory assistance, forced oxygenation, intubation, mechanical ventilation and drugs for resuscitation.

  • ** We included hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, cerebral ischemia, cerebral irritability and cerebral depression.

  • †† We included intracranial hemorrhage/laceration, and injury to the CNS/PNS, scalp and skeleton.

  • ‡‡ We included a combination of postpartum hemorrhage and transfusion codes.

  • §§ We included cardiac arrest, cardiac failure, myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism.

  • ¶¶ We included severe perineal lacerations (3rd/4th degree), cervical laceration, high vaginal laceration, injury to pelvic organ/joint, pelvic hematoma and extension of uterine incision.

  • *** We included sepsis, infection of obstetric surgical wound, infection of the genital tract following delivery, infection of the urinary tract following delivery, infections of the genitourinary tract following delivery, pyrexia of unknown origin following delivery and other specified puerperal infection.

  • ††† Crude OR is reported because AOR was undefined owing to small numbers.