Reoccurrence of retained placenta at vaginal delivery: an observational study

Ellen Christine Leth Løkkegaard, Thomas Bergholt, Sys Nikolajsen

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective. To estimate the prevalence and validate the diagnosis of retained placenta in nulliparous women and the risk of reoccurrence at subsequent vaginal delivery. Design. Nested cohort study. Setting. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, university-affiliated teaching hospital. Population. 10 334 nulliparous singleton pregnancies who delivered vaginally at the hospital during 2000-2009. Methods. Data from a computerized database information system were used to identify 287 women who had an ICD-10 diagnosis of retained placenta and 572 randomly selected controls matched by the date of first delivery. At chart review the diagnosis was confirmed by: (1) excessive bleeding <30 minutes after delivery without placental separation, (2) placenta not separated 30 minutes after delivery or (3) confirmation of retained placental tissue >2 hours postpartum. Main outcome measures. Confirmation of the diagnosis and prevalence of retained placenta. Risk of reoccurrence in a subsequent vaginal delivery. Results. The prevalence of retained placenta increased from 2.8 to 7.0% after confirmation according to the set criteria. Of the selected women, 48.4% had a subsequent vaginal delivery. Of these women, 25.3% (23/91) with a previous retained placenta and 5.3% (11/206) without previously retained placenta, experienced retained placenta in subsequent delivery. This corresponds to an adjusted odds ratio of 5.5 (95% confidence interval 2.6-12.7) in the multivariate analysis for recurrence of retained placenta in a subsequent vaginal delivery. Conclusions. The use of the ICD-10 diagnosis of retained placenta underestimated the prevalence. The risk of reoccurrence of retained placenta is significantly increased in a subsequent vaginal delivery.

Original languageEnglish
JournalActa Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica
Volume92
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)421-5
Number of pages5
ISSN0001-6349
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2013

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Reoccurrence of retained placenta at vaginal delivery: an observational study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this