Peripartum hysterectomy: a ten-year experience at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country.

Acute bleeding after delivery can be a life-threatening complication. Emergency hysterectomy is usually undertaken as a last resort. This study was conducted in order to estimate the incidence, indications, risk factors and complications associated with peripartum hysterectomy performed at a tertiary care hospital. We retrospectively analysed 39 of 45 cases of emergency peripartum hysterectomy performed at the Aga Khan University Hospital from 1997-2006. Peripartum hysterectomy was defined as one performed for a haemorrhage after delivery which is unresponsive to other treatments. The most frequent indications for peripartum hysterectomy were morbidly adherent placenta (46%) and uterine atony (23%). The duration of surgery was shorter (P = 0.045) but the complications were higher (P = 0.029) in total compared with subtotal hysterectomies. Our results suggest that caesarean deliveries are associated with an increased risk for peripartum hysterectomy, which is of concern given the increasing rate of caesarean deliveries. Subtotal hysterectomy is a reasonable alternative in emergency obstetric hysterectomy.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcome using ejaculated sperm and retrieved sperm in azoospermic men.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to determine pregnancy and miscarriage rates following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles using retrieved epididymal and testicular sperm in azoospermic men and ejaculated sperm in oligospermic and normospermic men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out on 517 couples who underwent ICSI. They included 96 couples with azoospermia and 421 with oligospermia or normal sperm count in the male partner. Of the men with azoospermia, 69 underwent percutaneous epididymal aspiration (PESA) and 47 underwent testicular sperm extraction (TESE). In the 421 men with oligospermia or normal sperm count, ejaculated sperm was used for ICSI. The differences in the outcomes of ICSI using PESA or TESE and ejaculated sperm were evaluated. The main outcome measures were pregnancy and miscarriage rates. RESULTS: No significant differences were seen in pregnancy and miscarriage rates with surgically retrieved and ejaculated sperm. The pregnancy rates (including frozen embryo transfer) were 43.5%, 36.2%, and 41.4% in couples with PESA, TESE, and ejaculated sperm, respectively (P = .93). The miscarriage rates were 16.7%, 23.5%, and 12.1%, respectively (P = .37). CONCLUSION: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection in combination with PESA and TESE is an effective method and can successfully be performed to treat men with azoospermia. The outcomes with these procedures are comparable to ICSI using ejaculated sperm.

Factors influencing medical student participation in an obstetrics and gynaecology clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors influencing medical student participation in an obstetrics and gynaecology (OBGYN) setting. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study carried out on patients admitted in OBGYN wards of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 250 patients consented to participate in this study. RESULTS: Eighty three percent of the people responded 'yes' to the question of being initially seen by a medical student. People who consented were 3.5 times more likely to know that their primary consultant was a teacher at a medical school i.e. they were initially aware that they were in a teaching hospital (p-value < 0.01). Additionally, people who did consent were 3.5 times more likely to have been admitted because of labour/delivery (p-value < 0.001) and 2.7 times more likely to have a monthly income of more than Rs. 20,000 (p-value < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A number of factors have been identified in our study along with proposed solutions. Identification of these potentially modifiable factors in the medical student-patient interaction is important to improve the involvement of medical students in the care of the patients.

Women's health in developing countries.

Healthcare priorities are different in developing and developed countries. A more effective resource allocation, complemented by efforts to implement only those practices that are effective, should be a priority for improving reproductive health services in developing countries. A large burden of gynaecological disease exists in developing countries and it is difficult to envisage serious reforms and improvements without an increase in public-sector spending. However, communities themselves could assume some responsibility for women's health in ways that prioritize women's own perceptions and primary needs. In this chapter we have compiled existing evidence regarding various gynaecological problems faced by women in developing countries. To name a few: sexual health issues, abortion, subfertility, cancer, and genital fistulae. We believe that there is a large knowledge gap in the area of women's health in developing countries, and there is an urgent need to conduct appropriately designed studies.

Massive primary postpartum haemorrhage: setting up standards of care.

OBJECTIVE: To review practice of massive primary postpartum haemorrhage management and develop a protocol. METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi between January 1, 2003 and July 31, 2004. Women with primary postpartum haemorrhage and had blood loss > or = 1000ml were included in the study. Medical record files of these women were reviewed for maternal mortality and morbidities which included mode of delivery, possible cause of postpartum haemorrhage, supportive, medical and surgical interventions. RESULTS: Approximately 3% (140/4881) of women had primary postpartum haemorrhage. 'Near miss' cases with blood loss > or = 1500ml was encountered in 14.37% (20/140) of these cases. Fifty-six percent (18/32) of the women who had massive postpartum haemorrhage delivered vaginally. Uterine-atony was found to be the most common cause, while care in High Dependency Unit (HDU) was required in 87.5% (28/32) of women. In very few cases balloon tamponade (2-cases) and compression sutures (2-cases) were used. Hysterectomy was performed in 4-cases and all of them encountered complications. Blood transfusions were required in 56% of women who had massive postpartum haemorrhage. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the existence variable practices for the management of postpartum haemorrhage. Interventions to evaluate and control bleeding were relatively aggressive; newer and less invasive options were underutilized. Introduction of an evidence-based management model can potentially reduce the practice variability and improve the quality of care.

Surgical repair of genital fistulae.

OBJECTIVE: Genital fistula is one of the serious childbirth injuries that can occur among women in the developing countries. Complex fistulae still represent a challenging management problem. We report our experience of managing genital fistulae at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: Eighty-seven women with genital fistulae were managed between January 1988 and December 2002. Sixty-eight cases were urogenital and 19 were rectovaginal fistulae. Three women had concomitant urogenital and rectovaginal fistulae. The position of patients for surgery and the route of repair were individualized according to the appropriate access to the fistulae. RESULTS: Of the 68 cases of urogenital fistulae, 54 were successfully repaired at first attempt. Three patients were cured at second repair. A success rate of 83.8% was achieved. Four patient with ureterosigmoid anastomosis and seven patients who were lost to follow-up, were considered as failures. All of the 19 rectovaginal fistulae (100%) closed after single repair. CONCLUSION: With an experienced uro-gynecologic team using conventional approach and meticulous repair, a high percentage of patients with genital fistulae can be rendered dry and continent.