Original Article Uterine Rupture: A review of 15 cases at Bandier Maternity Hospital in Somalia

Background: Uterine rupture is a deadly obstetrical emergency endangering the life of both mother and fetus. Objective: To determine the frequency of ruptured uterus at Bandier Hospital and to elicit possible causes and type of management. Methods: It was cross sectional and hospital based descriptive study implemented during a time period of six months (July – December 2013) in Bandier maternity hospital and a total of 15 women presented with rupture uterus during the period of the study were included. Results: There were 15 cases of ruptured uterus out of a total of 2142 deliveries. Incidence of uterine rupture was found to be 0.7%. The mean age of women was 30.03 ± 4.55 years. Concerning risk factors for rupture uterus, 10 (66.7%) had previous uterine surgery, obstructed labor was found in 33.3%, and oxytocin was used in 46.7% of respondents. Repair was done for 8 (53.3%), 3 (20.6%) of respondents underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and 4 (26.7%) were ended by subtotal hysterectomy. Conclusions: Previous uterine surgery, obstructed labour and improper use of oxytocin increase the risk of uterine rupture in this study. Half of the patients underwent hysterectomy.