Originally Posted by SmilingBluEyes
National csection rate is 50%? I thought it was more like 26%. Where did you get that figure, out of curiosity? (not trying to start a debate, but I am really behind the times if these rates are that high). Thanks in advance for any info you can provide me.
26% of Births in City Are Caesarean Deliveries, Study Says
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/ny.../13child.html?
Here's an article on C-section rates in the NYT just a couple of days ago. I pasted and copied, i
By MARC SANTORA
Published: July 13, 2005
The number of Caesarean section births performed at hospitals in New York City varies greatly, with the average well above the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a report to be issued today by the city's public advocate. New York is keeping pace with the national increase in the number of Caesarean sections, which accounted for more than a million births nationwide since 2003, five times more than in 1980.
The procedure, in which the baby is delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen or uterus, was performed on 27 percent of women in the United States who gave birth, according to data compiled by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
In New York City, 26.4 percent of women had Caesarean deliveries in 2003, and statewide the rate was 28.4 percent, said Betsy Gotbaum, the public advocate.
A survey of 44 hospitals by Ms. Gotbaum's office found that nine had Caesarean rates greater than 30 percent. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell had the highest rate of such deliveries, 37.3 percent."There is a tremendous risk" in conducting such surgeries unnecessarily, Ms. Gotbaum said in an interview, adding that it was clear that the trend was going in the wrong direction.A representative of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell said the hospital performed many high-risk births, which helped account for its relatively high rate of Caesarean sections.But Ms. Gotbaum cited reports by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommending that surgery be used only in cases in which a vaginal birth would put the health of the mother or the baby at risk. Such a standard, the groups said, would help reduce the rate of Caesarean sections to the 15 percent they recommend.Hospitals are required to provide data on the number of Caesarean sections they perform to patients who request it, under a 1989 state law, the Maternity Information Act. When the law was adopted, it was hailed as the first comprehensive effort in the nation to curb unnecessary operations. In the years after the law was passed, rates in New York did drop, but in recent years they have again begun to climb.
Ms. Gotbaum blamed the New York State Health Department for not following through on monitoring the issue.The deputy health commissioner, William Van Slyke, said the department compiled the data as quickly as possible and passed the information along to hospitals. But ultimately, he said, the hospitals were responsible for providing the data to patients.The law contains no punitive measure that could compel a hospital to provide the information. Mr. Van Slyke said he was aware that the number of Caesarean deliveries had been rising in recent years, but said he saw no reason for alarm.The surgery has been used for years and is widely considered the best choice for a mother whose health is at risk. Some obstetricians contend that it is as safe as a vaginal birth and that if a woman prefers surgery, she should be allowed to choose that option. There are several reasons that a woman might elect a Caesarean birth, including the convenience of advance scheduling.Some advocates, however, worry that hospitals are overusing the procedure. They cite the fact that in 1970, only 7 percent of babies were born by Caesarean section.Maureen Corry, the executive director of the Maternity Center Association, a national nonprofit advocacy group for pregnant women, said her group analyzed some 300 studies. "Bottom line, without a doubt, unless there is a clear compelling medical need for a C-section or assisted vaginal birth, the evidence shows that vaginal birth is the safest way for women to give birth," she said. There are many reasons that hospitals might benefit from surgery, she said."I think malpractice has a lot to do with it," she said. "Nobody ever sues a provider for doing an unnecessary C-section."Hospitals stand to reap a bigger profit by performing surgery and having the patient stay in the hospital for several days, she said.It is also easier, administratively, to perform a Caesarean section because the birth can be scheduled.Another factor for the increase may be that fewer women later deliver a baby vaginally after having done so by a Caesarean section, said Dr. Bruce Flamm, a medical professor at the University of California, Irvine.He said this alone made it unlikely that Caesarean rates would decline to the level of two decades ago. He also said he believed that part of the reason for the increase was that more women wanted the procedure.
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