EMERGENCY HYSTERECTOMY IN MODERN OBSTETRIC PRACTICE - CHANGING CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE IN TIME

Objective. Emergency hysterectomy in obstetric practice is generally p erformed in the setting of life-threatening hemorrhage. A retrospectiv e review based on hospital data of 67 patients undergoing emergency pe ripartum hysterectomy over 10 years was undertaken. Methods. Compariso n of two different time periods regarding the incidence and the indica tions of obstetric hysterectomies was made. Results. The number of pat ients with hysterectomy in the first 5 years of the study period (1985 -1989) was 43 and during the last 5 years (1990-1994) it was 24. The i ncidence of hysterectomy during 1985-1989 was 1 in 2495 deliveries and the most common indication for hysterectomy was uterine atony (42%) f ollowed by placenta accreta (25.5%) and uterine rupture (21%). On the other hand, the incidence of hysterectomy during 1990-1994 was 1 in 42 28 deliveries and the ranking of indications of hysterectomy was sligh tly different from group 1 as mostly placenta accreta (41.7%) followed by uterine atony (29.2%). The maternal mortality rate was 4.5% in thi s series. Conclusion. This study showed that over the last decade the incidence of emergency hysterectomy in obstetric practice has declined in our clinic due to availability of high standard obstetric care and more liberal use of cesarean section at risk deliveries, better contr olled use of oxytocin and internal iliac artery ligation.