Retrospective cohort study to investigate the impact of timing for term cesarean delivery on maternal and neonatal outcomes

AbstractBackground: Early-term cesarean delivery (CD) increases neonatal respiratory morbidity; however, planned late-term cesarean delivery (CD) may generate urgent CD related to spontaneous onset of labor.Aims: We investigated maternal and neonatal morbidity for planned early (37/38 week) versus late-term (39/40 weeks) CD. Our primary study aim was to investigate severe maternal morbidity and general anesthesia rates according to early versus late-term CD. Our secondary study aims were to investigate the rate of urgent surgery and other measures of maternal morbidity, and neonatal morbidity, according to early versus late-term CD and according to urgent versus elective planned CD.Methods: In our retrospective, ethically approved study of planned CD we compared maternal morbidity and neonatal respiratory morbidity, for early versus late-term CD.Results: Among 370 early versus 300 late-term CD, women who delivered at late-term CD had significantly higher rates of urgent surgery 101 (33.7%) versus 85 (23.0...