Safe timing for an urgent Caesarean section: what is the evidence to guide policy?

Abstract

Urgent CS should occur as soon as possible, but there is insufficient evidence to support a definite time frame, such as 30 min. A consistency of approach and nomenclature in describing the urgency of CS is necessary, which would enable criteria for further audit regarding DDI. Staff training should be addressed to improve transfer systems for CS. Antenatal risk assessment and congruence with role delineation and service delivery capacity is important.

Evaluating the decision-to-delivery interval in category 1 emergency caesarean sections at a tertiary referral hospital

“…There are studies that have found that a DDI ≤75 minutes is an achievable target and neonatal outcomes are not significantly worse if 75 minutes are not exceeded. [7,16,28] The study by le Riche et al [21] found a median DDI of 48 minutes for Category 1 CS, within the 75-minute benchmark. The median DDI achieved in our study was 75 minutes, i.e.…”