Crash Caesarean Delivery: How to Optimise Decision-to-Delivery Interval by Initiating a Novel Code? A Clinical Audit.

Background: Many resource-constrained centres fail to meet the international standard of 30 min of decision-to-delivery interval (DDI) of Category-1 crash caesarean deliveries. However, specific scenarios like acute foetal bradycardia and antepartum haemorrhage necessitate even faster interventions. Methods: A multidisciplinary team developed a "CODE-10 Crash Caesarean" rapid response protocol to limit DDI to 15 min. A multidisciplinary committee analysed a retrospective clinical audit of maternal-foetal outcomes over 15 months (August 2020-November 2021), and expert recommendations were sought. Results: The median DDI of twenty-five patients who underwent a "CODE-10 Crash Caesarean delivery" was 13 ± 6 min, with 92% (23/25) of DDIs falling below 15 min. Seven neonates required intensive care for more than 24 h with no maternal or neonatal mortality. DDIs during office and non-office hours were not significantly different (12.5 ± 6 min vs 13 ± 5 min, p = 0.911). Transport delays caused the two instances of DDI > 15 min. Conclusion: The novel "CODE-10 Crash Caesarean" protocol may be feasible for adoption in a similar tertiary-care setting with appropriate planning and training.

Managing placenta accreta spectrum in low-resource settings using a novel dissection-free aorta clamp: Operative technique.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical management of Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is associated with profuse bleeding and increased risk of operative injury to the adherent pelvic structures. We propose using a novel aorta clamp that can occlude the abdominal aorta without retroperitoneal dissection, thereby making it easy for an obstetrician-gynecologist to use it. The novel Paily aorta clamp (PAC) is applied just above the bifurcation of the abdominal aorta. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 33 women with varying grades of histopathology-confirmed PAS, who were managed as an elective or emergency procedure in a tertiary center in India. RESULTS: Twenty-nine women with advanced grades of PAS underwent sub-total/total hysterectomies, while four women with low-grade PAS underwent a conservative procedure. The procedures were associated with median estimated intra-operative blood loss of 1000 ± 1500 ml, with only 21.2% (n = 7) requiring a transfusion of four or more units packed red blood cells. PAC was applied for a median of 55 ± 20 min and was not associated with any perioperative aortic wall injury or distal thromboembolic phenomenon. CONCLUSION: Our experience using the novel PAC, in the current series and across multiple centers in India, demonstrates that the sizeable abdominal aorta can be clamped safely and effectively without retroperitoneal dissection-with no incidence of vascular injury so far. However, we would urge only designated centers with experienced obstetrician-gynecologists-backed by a urologist, adequate blood bank and intensive care facilities-to tackle PAS procedures using the PAC technique.