Quality of Recovery After Unplanned and Planned Cesarean Deliveries

BACKGROUND:

There is a paucity of literature examining the differences between patient-reported outcome measures after planned and unplanned cesarean delivery using a validated quality of recovery tool. The Obstetric Quality of Recovery-10 (ObsQoR-10) scoring tool has been validated to quantify functional recovery after cesarean delivery. We aimed to use the ObsQoR-10 to compare the postoperative recovery characteristics of patients undergoing planned and unplanned cesarean deliveries.

METHODS:

We conducted a prospective single-center observational study. Patients undergoing planned and unplanned cesarean deliveries under neuraxial anesthesia were asked to complete the ObsQoR-10 questionnaire 24 hours, 48 hours, and 1 week postpartum. We collected information on total in-hospital postoperative opioid consumption and patients´ perception of readiness for discharge at 24 and 48 hours postpartum. Additionally, patient characteristics were collected to assess their correlation with our findings.

RESULTS:

We included 112 patients (56 in each group). No statistical differences in ObsQoR-10 scores at 24 hours, 48 hours, and 1 week postpartum were observed between the planned and unplanned cesarean deliveries. Additionally, there was no difference between the groups in patients’ perception of readiness for hospital discharge at 24 and 48 hours and opioid consumption in the first 2 days after surgery. Most patients in both groups did not think they would be ready for discharge at 24 hours postpartum. Analysis of the individual components of ObsQoR-10 at 24 hours showed a difference in the responses assessing the severity of shivering (higher in unplanned cesarean deliveries) and the ability to look after personal hygiene (lower in unplanned cesarean deliveries).

CONCLUSIONS:

As assessed by the ObsQoR-10, no significant difference in the quality of recovery was observed between patients undergoing planned and unplanned cesarean delivery.