Elective delivery of the term fetus. An obstetrical hazard
M. J. Maisels, R. Rees, K. Marks and Z. Friedman
Of 1,020 consecutive admissions to a regional neonatal center, 38 infants
were admitted following elective delivery in which no medical condition of
the mother or fetus had necessitated immediate delivery. Twenty infants had
problems that were not primarily the result of elective delivery, developed
in 18. Fifteen of these 18 infants were delivered by cesarean section; in
none of the mothers had any assessment of fetal maturity or size (other
than the menstrual history and physical examination) been made. The infants
remained in the hospital for an average of 12.7 days at a median cost of
$2,678 per patient. One infant died. In the absence of pressing medical
indications and without an objective assessment of fetal maturity, elective
delivery remains potentially hazardous.
