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Concerns about Malpractice Lawsuits a Factor in Rise in C-Sections

There has been a rise in Caesarean sections, also known as C-sections, across the country and there are many different opinions as to the cause.  Some experts believe that the rise in C-sections can be attributed to the rise in late pre-term births or those that occur at 34 to 36 weeks of gestation.  However, other experts disagree with this belief.

When a C-section is performed before 37 weeks’ gestation, whether it is conducted at the woman’s request or for medical reasons, the baby is considered pre-term.  Many experts feel that doctors are frequently choosing C-sections at times when they may provide some benefit, which is based on the theory of being safe rather than sorry.

Elective C-sections may be done too early, because of the challenge of pinpointing the exact date the pregnancy began, which would affect the exact due date.  Younger babies can be kept alive with today’s technology, but their lungs and brain mature late in pregnancy.  If a baby is born pre-term, he or she can have difficulty breathing, feeding and maintaining temperature, in addition to the risk of jaundice.

Dr. James E. Ferguson, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Kentucky, said that doctors at his hospital do not perform C-sections for non-medical reasons and all late pre-term babies are reviewed to make sure they conform to this policy.  He did say that doctors’ concerns about malpractice lawsuits often play a factor in the delivery decisions, which leads many doctors to quickly choose a C-section if there is trouble during a vaginal birth.

As far as non-medical C-sections that sometimes lead to pre-term births, Ferguson was quoted as saying, “I’m not convinced about that potential connection.”

The number of C-sections reached a record high in 2005, which is the most recent year for available data.  In 2005, C-sections accounted for 30.3 percent of all births in the United States.  Kentucky ranked the sixth highest in the nation, with a C-section rate of 33.9 percent.

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