Appropriateness of elective caesarean deliveries in a perinatal network: a cross-sectional study

Table 1 Number of deliveries, caesarean rate in Auvergne in 2011 and 2012, and number of selected cases by maternity unit

Maternity unit	Level*	Date of file assessment	Number of analysed case files	Number of deliveries		Global caesarean rate (n)%
				2011	2012	2011	2012	P value
1	III	23/11/11	26	3440	3654	(n = 736) 21.4	(n = 717) 19.6	0.06
2	II	21/11/11	15	1281	1319	(n = 195) 15.2	(n = 175) 13.3	0.15
3	II	12/12/11	12	1233	1250	(n = 233) 18.9	(n = 228) 18.2	0.67
4	II	09/11/11	20	1150	1229	(n = 236) 20.5	(n = 223) 18.1	0.14
5	II	17/10/11	24	924	923	(n = 207) 22.4	(n = 191) 20.7	0.37
6	II	09/01/12	19	1190	1198	(n = 211) 17.7	(n = 225) 18.8	0.51
7	II	19/12/11	41	2385	2312	(n = 570) 23.9	(n = 463) 20.0	0.001
8	I	16/11/11	10	344	349	(n = 80) 23.3	(n = 70) 20.1	0.31
9	I	05/12/11	19	466	498	(n = 107) 23.0	(n = 78) 15.7	0.004
10	I	16/12/11	6	720	656	(n = 119) 16.5	(n = 109) 16.6	0.96
Total RSPA**	10 units	-	192	13,133	13,388	(n = 2,694) 20.5	(n = 2,479) 18.5	<0.001

*Level of hospital units. Level I maternity units provide prenatal care and delivery services for women with normal pregnancies with no particular risks. These units have no neonatology services. The woman will be referred to a more appropriate maternity ward in case of a maternal or fetal disorder. Level II maternity units have both an obstetrics unit and a neonatology nursery that provides 24/7 monitoring and special care for at-risk neonates, including those whose condition deteriorates after birth, regardless of whether they were born in the establishment. In particular, they are authorised to care for preterm infants born at or after 32 weeks gestation without any notable respiratory disease. Level III units also have a neonatal intensive care unit that allows them to provide 24/7 care for newborns in serious distress or at risk of death, again regardless of whether they were born in the establishment. In particular, they are authorised to care for infants born before 32 weeks and/or weighing less than 1500 g.
**RSPA=Auvergne perinatal network.

ISSN: 1471-2393