We are pleased to announce that the poster on ReDEFINe presented at National Trainees’ Conference (17 November 2017) won the platform poster prize! The abstract is reproduced below:
Background
Rising caesarean section (CS) rates are a global concern. There are increased maternal and neonatal risks with CS undertaken at full dilatation. Acquisition and maintenance of rotational vaginal delivery skills reduces emergency caesarean sections in the second stage of labour. There is concern that more junior trainees may not have the appropriate skills to perform a rotational delivery to its full completion.
Aim
To assess if operator training level affects the outcomes of rotational vaginal deliveries.
Methods
UK Audit and Research trainee Collaborative in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (UK-ARCOG) network collected data on 836 births, all in one month (May) of 2016, with malposition of the fetal head complicating the second stage of labour. Information was prospectively collected onto paper proformas, pooled centrally and analysed using SPSS.
Results
The rate of first instrument success, by juniors as compared to seniors, did not reach any statistically significant difference (67.7% vs. 67.8% respectively; p > 0.05). OP babies were more likely to be delivered by seniors (p=0.06). The rate of shoulder dystocia was slightly higher in the former group of accouchers (6.3% vs. 2.3%; p < 0.05).
There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups of accouchers in the rate of anal sphincter injury, EBL >1.5 L, mean cord arterial pH or SCBU admission (p > 0.05)
Conclusion
Comparable outcomes of rotational vaginal deliveries, regardless of training levels, suggest existence of high quality supervision.
The poster can also be viewed here.
We also presented another poster based on ReDEFINe work, viewable here.
ReDEFINe work will also be presented at the following upcoming meetings: RCOG Annual Academic Meeting (8-9 February 2018) and the Society for Reproductive Investigation Annual Scientific Meeting (6-10 March 2018).