Manual removal of the placenta: Evaluation of some risk factors and management outcome in a tertiary maternity unit. A case controlled study

O. I. Akinola, A. O. Fabamwo, A. O. Tayo, Adegboyega Bande, K. A. Rabiu, A. Y. Oshodi

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Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Nigeria.

DOI: 10.4236/ojog.2013.32052                

Abstract

Objective: Lack of consensus on when to diagnose and manage retained placenta in the absence of hemorrhage in the 3^rd stage of labor, has often subjected Manual removal of placenta (MROP) to the discretion of the accoucher. This study aimed to appraise the practice of manual removal of placenta in a tertiary institution in Nigeria with a view to evaluating risk factors for the procedure and advance probable guidelines to enhance standardization of diagnosis of retained placenta. Design: Case controlled study. Setting: Tertiary maternity center in South west Nigeria. Participants: Data from the hospital records of 92 parturients who had MROP from January to December 2009 were compared with 91 immediate next parturients without MROP matched for age and parity. Variables such as the past obstetric and gynecological history, status of accoucher, gestational age at delivery, duration of 3^rd stage, estimated blood loss, quantum of blood transfused and length of hospitalization were extracted and subjected to statistical analysis using the SPSS package. Results: There were 4613 deliveries of which 92 parturients had MROP, an incidence of 1.99%. The mean duration of 3^rd stage in the study group was 35.6 ± 18.8 minutes compared to 21.6 ± 6.28 minutes in the control. Doctors were the accoucher in 96.8% of cases while midwives took the deliveries in 84.4% in the control group. Previous scarring of the pregnant uterus such as dilatation and curettage and caesarean section predisposed to MROP compared to the control group (P < 0.032) and (P < 0.024) respectively but there was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to previous myomectomy. Conclusion: There is a need to establish standard guidelines in the management of the 3^rd stage of labor with definite criteria for diagnosis of retained placenta to reduce the probable risk of unnecessary MROP.

Keywords

Accoucher; “Haemorrhage”; Parturients “MROP”; Myomectomy

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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