Global implications of rising rates of cesarean sections and late preterm births

The study by Almeida et al., is a well-designed prospective cohort study aimed at identifying modifiable risk factors associated with the need for resuscitative procedures in late preterm infants. Although the participating centers were not randomly selected, the investigators made a special effort to include a study sample as representative, as possible, of the population of late-preterm infants in Brazil. Because cesarean section (CS) and late-preterm infant birth rates have been increasing worldwide, and recent studies from both developed and developing countries suggest an increase in associated morbidity,1, 2 the present study is timely and of significant importance.