RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF CHANGING RATES FOR OPERATIVE VAGINAL DELIVERY OVER THE DECADES IN A SINGLE TERTIARY HEALTH CARE CENTER

Objective: To evaluate the changing rates for operative vaginal delivery (OVD) over the decades in our institution. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective and descriptive study. A total of 10458 births in 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2016 were included in the study. Cases were divided into five groups according to years of delivery: group 1 (1976, n= 2668), group 2 (1986, n= 2393), group 3 (1996, n= 1751), group 4 (2006, n= 1751), and group 5 (2016, n= 1895). The percentage of total operative deliveries, the percentage of births with forceps, the percentage of vacuum extractions and the percentage of births by cesarean were compared between the study years. Results: The frequency of OVD was 16.4%, 17.1%, 5.1%, 1.9% and 0% in 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2016, respectively. The frequency of forceps applications in OVDs was 99.3%, 99.58%, 99.83%, 99.94% and 0%, respectively. The caesarean rates in the study years were 11.4%, 19.2%, 44.7%, 69.3% and 77.9%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of total operative deliveries, percentage of births with forceps, percentage of vacuum extractions, and percentage of cesarean delivery (p< 0.001). Conclusion: As in the rest of the world, OVD applications within the decades have decreased dramatically, and cesarean delivery has increased significantly. Supporting OVD practices and increasing the number of physicians with sufficient experience in this area may contribute to reducing the increased cesarean section frequency.