Table 6 Comparison of rates of selected neonatal outcomes among infants delivered at term by caesarean section without labour and
by assisted vaginal delivery in Nova Scotia, 1988–2002
| Neonatal outcomes | Crude | Adjusted* | ||
| OR (95% CI) | p Value | OR (95% CI) | p Value | |
| Depression at birth | ||||
| Delay in initiating and maintaining respiration | 0.41 (0.29 to 0.57) | <0.001 | 0.56 (0.36 to 0.86) | 0.01 |
| Low 5-minute Apgar score (⩽3) | 0.80 (0.43 to 1.49) | 0.58 | 2.09 (0.96 to 4.54) | 0.06 |
| HIE and associated sequelae | 0.40 (0.22 to 0.74) | 0.004 | 0.81 (0.40 to 1.66) | 0.57 |
| Neonatal birth trauma | ||||
| Minor trauma | 0.03 (0.02 to 0.05) | <0.001 | 0.03 (0.02 to 0.05) | <0.001 |
| Major trauma | 0.05 (0.02 to 0.10) | <0.001 | 0.04 (0.02 to 0.10) | <0.001 |
| Respiratory conditions | ||||
| RDS | 5.24 (3.15 to 8.72) | <0.001 | 3.21 (1.71 to 6.01) | <0.001 |
| Transient tachypnoea | 2.15 (1.70 to 2.72) | <0.001 | 1.78 (1.33 to 2.40) | <0.001 |
| Aspiration pneumonitis | 0.56 (0.36 to 0.88) | 0.01 | 0.82 (0.48 to 1.42) | 0.50 |
| NICU stay >24 hours | 1.23 (1.09 to 1.39) | <0.001 | 1.00 (0.85 to 1.17) | 0.99 |
| Breast feeding at discharge | 0.91 (0.89 to 0.93) | <0.001 | 0.74 (0.70 to 0.79) | <0.001 |
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*Adjusted for year of delivery, maternal age, parity, smoking, maternal weight at delivery, hypertensive disease, diabetes, previous caesarean delivery, the use of regional anaesthesia, the induction of labour, gestational age, and large and small for gestational age, where significant.
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HIE, hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy; NICU, neonatal intensive care unit; RDS, respiratory distress syndrome.
