The obesity epidemic has touched all aspects of obstetric care, including the practice of cesarean delivery. Obesity is an independent risk factor for cesarean delivery, and the increased prevalence of obesity has contributed to the overall rise in primary cesarean delivery seen over the past few decades. Because of the frequent existence of co-morbidities such as hypertension and diabetes, obesity is a plausible contributor to rising maternal mortality. In addition, obese women who undergo both primary and repeat cesarean delivery have a higher chance to develop surgical and post-operative complications, including wound infection and thromboembolic events. Surgical complications increase steadily with increasing maternal weight. In this chapter, we will review the incidence and contributing factors that lead to cesarean delivery in obese patients, peri-operative complications, and strategies to reduce these risks in obese women undergoing cesarean delivery.
Part of the book: Recent Advances in Cesarean Delivery