Episiotomy at the Asha’ab obstetric emergency center, Aden, Yemen: Prevalence, clinical profile, and complications

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Despite the controversies that prevail regarding the efficacy of episiotomy, it is still practiced widely around the world in various degrees of prevalence. This study aimed to identify and analyze the prevalence, clinical profile, and complications of episiotomy performed on women who delivered at the Asha’ab Obstetric Emergency Center. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that involved women who had undergone vaginal delivery at the Asha’ab Obstetric Emergency Center, in Aden city, Yemen, between October 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the center’s administrative office. Results: During the study period, 858 women delivered vaginally at our center. Out of these, 443 women had had an episiotomy, representing an episiotomy prevalence of approximately 51.6%. These 443 women were enrolled in this study. The episiotomy was more common among primigravida women (n=362, 81.7%), followed by multiparous women (n=42, 9.5%). The most commonly associated medical disorder was anemia (n=167, 37.7%), followed by hypertension (n=33, 7.4%). Perineal pain (n=51, 11.5%) was the most frequently reported post-episiotomy complication, followed by perineal discomfort (n=32, 7.2%), wound infection (n=27, 6.1%), perineal bleeding (n=18, 4.1), difficulty in walking (n=9, 2.0%), wound dehiscence (n=3, 0.7%), and difficulty in defecation (n=1, 0.2%). Conclusion: The prevalence of episiotomy among women who gave birth at the Asha’ab Obstetric Emergency Center, in Aden city, Yemen, was higher than the World Health Organization recommendation, which is around 10% or less with acceptable obstetric evidence indicating the need. Further prospective large-scale studies are recommended to confirm the findings of this study.