Maternal and perinatal outcome of placenta previa in a tertiary care centre: an observational study

Abstract

Background: Placenta previa is an important cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality and is on forefront in deadly triad for maternal mortality followed by eclampsia and sepsis in India. To determine the incidence, maternal and perinatal outcomes among women with placenta previa.Methods: This is a prospective observational study carried out at in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of a tertiary care hospital of Northern India for a period of six months between Feb 2018 to July 2018.Results: Total number of patients delivered during this period was 6840 and out of which 35 patients were diagnosed with placenta previa, so the incidence is 0.51%. Incidence of placenta previa was the highest in the maternal age group 20-30 years i.e. 71.42%. Placenta previa was noticed in 17.14% of the women with previous cesarean section. Caesarean hysterectomy was performed in 2.85%, 11.42% of the women had postpartum haemorrhage. Perinatal morbidity was studied as the percentage of babies requiring resuscitation and NICU admission which was 25.71 %. There was 19.99 % perinatal mortality.Conclusions: Placenta previa is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality which could be prevented by early registration, regular antenatal care, early detection of high-risk cases, and early referral to higher centre with good NICU services and blood bank facility.