Lower body temperatures in infants delivered by caesarean section than in vaginally delivered infants

Clinical experience suggests that infants delivered by caesarean section have difficulties maintaining normal body temperature during the first hours after birth. To test this hypothesis, body and skin temperatures were measured and compared in healthy full-term caesarean section and vaginally delivered newborn infants. The babies were studied during the first 90 min after birth. Axillary and skin temperatures were significantly higher in the vaginally delivered group than in infants delivered by caesarean section. Infants born by non-elective caesarean section were slightly warmer during the first 90 min after birth compared to infants born by elective caesarean section. There were no significant differences in temperatures between infants cared for in a cot as compared to those cared for in an incubator. An incubator creates a physical barrier between babies and parents and incubator care might cause parental anxiety. Thus the routine of putting healthy, full-term caesarean section infants in incubators can be abandoned from a thermoregulatory point of view.     

Neutrophil chemotaxis in infants delivered by caesarean section

We evaluated polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) chemotaxis and cortisol levels in cord blood from 15 healthy term infants delivered by caesarean section and from 15 healthy vaginally delivered term infants. Mean neutrophil chemotaxis was significantly higher in infants delivered by caesarean section (78.3±23.4m) than in vaginally delivered infants (57.8±16.6 m;P=0.01). Mean blood cortisol level was significantly lower in infants delivered by caesarean section (9.14±2.76 g/dl) than in infants born by vaginal delivery (20.71±6.98 g/dl;P=0.0001). No relationship was found between PMN chemotaxis and blood cortisol level. The higher neutrophil chemotactic activity observed in infants delivered by caesarean section could be related to general maternal anaesthesia.     

剖宫产儿早期潮气呼吸肺功能的研究

目的：研究剖宫产儿早期潮气呼吸肺功能各项指标的特点。探讨剖宫产对新生儿早期肺功能的影响。方法：研究对象分两组:剖宫产组42例,阴道分娩组33例;采用潮气呼吸法测定两组新生儿1h内潮气呼吸肺功能的各项指标。主要参数:每分通气量(MV),呼吸频率(RR),潮气量(VT/kg),吸气时间(TI),呼气时间(TE),吸呼比(TI/TE),达峰时间(TPEF),达峰时间比(TPEF/TE),达峰容积(VPEF),达峰容积比(VPEF/VE),潮气呼吸呼气峰流速(PTEF),25%,50%,75%潮气量时呼气流速(TEF25%,TEF50%,TEF75%)。同时描绘出流速容量环(TFVcurve)。结果：剖宫产组MV为1.16±0.31L/min,VT/kg4.81±1.05mL/kg较阴道分娩组1.34±0.33L/min,5.55±1.24mL/kg明显缩小(P<0.05)。PTEF为69.40±21.96mL/s,TEF25%为62.17±20.62mL/s较阴道分娩儿59.03±15.23mL/s,51.52±13.83mL/s明显增快(P<0.05)。反映气道阻塞的指标:TPEF/TE和VPEF/VE分别为(66.08±11.51)%和(62.19±8.69)%高于经阴道分娩组(60.36±9.70)%和(55.75±7.28)%(P<0.05)。而RR,TI,TE,TI/TE,TEF50%,TEF75%两组无显著差异(P>0.05)。流速容量环:两组新生儿流速容量环呈较狭长的不规则椭圆型,呼气流速峰值延迟出现,剖宫产组的流速容量环窄于经阴道分娩儿,呼气流速峰值高于阴道分娩组。结论：剖宫产儿1h内潮气呼吸肺功能显示潮气量、每分通气量小于经阴道分娩儿,剖宫产儿较阴道分娩儿在1h内限制性通气功能障碍更明显,大气道的阻塞亦更明显。     

Skin microcirculation before and after local warming in infants delivered vaginally or by caesarean section

To elucidate early postnatal changes in skin microcirculation, term newborn infants were studied at 2,6 and 24 h after vaginal delivery (VD, n = 20) or elective caesarean section (CS, n = 10). Laser Doppler technique was used to measure perfusion, rhythmical perfusion changes, i.e. vasomotion, and reactive hyperaemia of the dorsal hand, before and after local warming of the skin to 37°C. The skin perfusion and the magnitude of reactive hyperaemia (mean 85%) remained essentially unchanged, while vasomotion increased from 0–5 to 2–8 cycles/min ( p < 0.001) during the first day of life. Local warming of the skin promoted microcirculation slightly at 2 h and more markedly at 24 h postnatal age. The CS group showed a higher degree of skin perfusion, vasomotion and reactive hyperaemia than did VD infants at 2 h postnatal age. Our findings most likely reflect skin microcirculatory effects of birth-related events, such as a drop in body temperature, sympathoadrenal activation and placental transfusion.     

Breathing patterns in term infants delivered by caesarean section

AIM: To compare the breathing patterns of infants born by elective caesarean section to those infants delivered by caesarean section after a failed trial of labour. METHODS: Healthy term infants born by caesarean section were studied. The study group (n = 13) had no trial of labour, whereas infants in the control group (n = 13) failed a trial of labour. Polysomnographic study was performed at 36 h of age. Heart and respiratory rate, type and duration of apnoeas, arterial oxygen saturation and lower limb movements were analysed. RESULTS: Term infants born by elective caesarean section had a shorter duration of pregnancy and weighed less. Their heart rate was faster, they had more mixed apnoeas, and during quiet sleep they had more central apnoeas of longer duration. CONCLUSION: Cardiorespiratory patterns in infants delivered by elective caesarean section are different from those delivered by caesarean section after a failed trial of labour.     

Neonatal effects of anesthesia for caesarean section

Seventy eight parturient mothers undergoing elective caesarean section were studied with regard to the immediate neonatal outcome in those receiving general and spinal anesthesia. All mothers were of grade I anesthesia risk, were term and had singleton appropriate for gestational age fetuses. There was no difference in fetal acid base chemistry in the two groups. Babies delivered after general anesthesia appeared relatively depressed requiring more free flow oxygen and bag and mask ventilation, though one minute Apgar scores showed no significant difference in either group. Induction delivery intervals were longer in the spinal group but it was not associated with more morbidity. Uterine incision delivery intervals were very small in both groups and no meaningful conclusion could be drawn as regards effect on the newborn. A plea is made for more frequent use of spinal anesthesia considering its many postnatal advantages.     

Is there an increased frequency of food allergy in children delivered by caesarean section compared to those delivered vaginally?

Aim: Allergic diseases are increasing. At the same time an increasing number of children are delivered by caesarean section. These children do not get the same contact with their mother's gut flora as babies delivered vaginally. Theoretically, lack of exposure to maternal vaginal and perineal bacteria might change the gut flora, with secondary changes in the immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate whether children delivered by caesarean section were more prone to develop food allergy.
Methods: Six hundred and nine children were included at birth. At 2-year follow-up, 512 children participated, 171 delivered by caesarean section, 341 born vaginally. The children reported to have symptoms consistent with possible food allergy, were examined at the outpatient clinic. The diagnosis was based on the history, skin prick test (SPT), specific IgE, elimination/challenge test and double blind placebo controlled challenge.
Results: Thirty-five (6.8%) children were diagnosed with adverse reactions to food, 27 with non-IgE-mediated and eight with IgE-mediated allergy. There was no over representation of children born by caesarean section.
Conclusion: In this study there seems to be no increased risk for food allergy in the first 2 years of life in children delivered by caesarean section.     

Neonatal endothelin-1 concentrations in term infants.

Endothelin-1 concentrations were studied in 30 term infants during the first week of life using a radioimmunoassay kit. A neonatal reference range was established (7.5-25.7 pmol/l). No significant relation with age, sex, gestation, or birth weight was found.     

The long-term effects of birth by caesarean section: The case for a randomised controlled trial

Birth by caesarean section is rising rapidly around the world and is associated with a range of adverse short and long-term outcomes in offspring. The latter include features of the metabolic syndrome, type-1 diabetes, and asthma. Though there are several plausible candidate biological mechanisms, evidence of a causal relationship between mode of delivery and long-term outcomes remains lacking. Here we review the evidence to date, and examine ways in which future studies might advance understanding. We conclude that a randomised controlled trial of mode of delivery for the healthy term, cephalic pregnancy, is neither unethical nor unfeasible and should be seriously considered as the optimum means of addressing a question of great relevance to public health.     

Neonatal weight loss and gain patterns in caesarean section born infants: integrative systematic review

There is evidence that caesarean section delivery can impact on neonatal weight loss and weight gain patterns in the first 5 days of life. We conducted an integrative systematic review to examine the association of mode of delivery on early neonatal weight loss. Pubmed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Excerpta Medica dataBASE, and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online were searched for relevant papers published before June 2019. Reference lists from the relevant papers were then backwards and forwards searched. As neonatal weight loss was reported in different formats, a meta‐analysis could not be carried out. Most studies did not distinguish between elective and emergency caesarean sections or instrumental and nonassisted vaginal deliveries. Seven papers were included. All papers except one found that caesarean section was associated with higher weight loss in the early days of life. Two papers presented data from studies on babies followed up to 1 month. One study found that on day 25, babies born by caesarean section had significantly higher weight gain than those born vaginally, while another found that by day 28, babies born vaginally gained more weight per day (11.9 g/kg/day) than those born by caesarean section (10.9 g/kg/day; p = .02). Overall, infants born by caesarean section lost more weight than those born vaginally, but due to the small number of studies included, more are needed to look at this difference and why it may occur. This discrepancy in weight between the two groups may be corrected over time, but future studies will need larger sample sizes and longer follow‐up periods to examine this.     

Hydration in the first 24 h of postnatal life in normal infants born vaginally or by caesarean section

A total of 65 infants, 48 born vaginally and 17 by segment caesarean section, were studied prior to labour for extracellular volume (ECV) (corrected bromide space) and total body water (TBW) (deuterium space) during the first 24 h of postnatal life. The infants were mature and growth retardation excluded. A ‘heel stick’ blood sample was taken for micro determination of Br and urine for ²H₂0 concentration. ECV varied from 343 ±27 ml/kg at 6 h to 358 ±21 ml/kg at 24 h and TBW was 75.5 ±3.4% of body weight. Contrary to current opinion, neither TBW nor cell hydration differed in infants born by caesarean section compared with those born vaginally. Such modern methodology to study infant body hydration and the critical assessment of growth and maturity demonstrates that hydration during the first 24 h of life is relatively stable and is not affected by the mode of delivery.     

Anesthesia for caesarean section and immediate neonatal outcome

Seventy-eight parturient mothers undergoing elective caesarean section were studied with regard to the immediate neonatal outcome in those receiving general and spinal anesthesia. All mothers were of grade I anesthesia risk, were term and had singleton appropriate for gestational age babies. There was no difference in fetal acid base chemistry in the two groups. Babies delivered after general anesthesia appeared relatively depressed requiring more free flow oxygen and bag and mask ventilation though one minute Apgar scores showed no significant difference in either group. Induction delivery intervals were longer in the spinal group but it was not associated with more morbidity. Uterine incision delivery intervals were very small in both groups and no meaningful conclusion could be drawn as regards effect on the newborn. A plea is made for more frequent use of spinal anesthesia considering its many postnatal advantages.     

Preterm elective caesarean section and early enteral feeding in gastroschisis

Aims: To evaluate the effect of elective caesarean section (CS) before term and early enteral nutrition on length of parenteral nutrition and hospital stay in infants with gastroschisis. Methods: Retrospective review of all infants with gastroschisis treated in a regional level III hospital from 1993 to 2008. During 1993–97, there was no established standard for management of pregnancy or delivery while a protocol on close foetal monitoring and early elective CS was adhered to for 1998–2008. Introduction of human milk on the first day after complete closure of the abdominal wall and rapid increase was the policy during the whole period. Results: With early elective CS, no foetal deaths occurred after 28‐ week gestational age (GA). Ten infants were born during the first period and 20 during the second period at a median GA (range) of 36.5 (34–40) and 35 (34–37) weeks (p = 0.013). Seven and 20, respectively, were born by CS. Median (range) days before full enteral feeds and hospital stay were 11.5 (7–39) and 13.0 (7–46) (p = 0.85), and 17.5 (12–36) and 22.5 (13–195) (p = 0.67), respectively. One child died of volvulus after discharge. Conclusion: Close surveillance of pregnancy, elective preterm caesarean section, early surgery and active approach to primary closure and early enteral feeds appears to be a safe and effective line of management in gastroschisis.     

Labour increases the surface expression of two toll-like receptors in the cord blood monocytes of healthy term newborns

Aim: Mode of delivery may influence the innate immune system in newborns. We investigated the effect of maternal labour on the expression of two toll-like receptors, TLR2 and TLR4, in monocytes obtained from healthy full-term newborns.
Methods: Monocytes were obtained from cord blood of 48 newborns that have been vaginally delivered (VD) and 14 newborns delivered by elective caesarean section (CS) without labour. Peripheral blood was also obtained from 17 healthy adults. Surface expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in the monocytes was measured by antihuman TLR2 or TLR4 monoclonal antibody and immunofluorescence flow cytometry. TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA levels were evaluated by real-time PCR.
Results: CS newborns had a significantly lower level of TLR2 and TLR4 surface expression on monocytes than VD newborns. No significant difference was found between the surface expression of VD newborns and healthy adults. TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA levels in monocytes did not vary among the three study groups.
Conclusion: Labour may up-regulate TLR2 and TLR4 on the cord blood monocytes of newborns at the protein level. Since TLRs are an important part of the innate immune system, our findings suggest that labour may be immunologically beneficial to normal newborns.     

Risk factors of neonatal respiratory distress following vaginal delivery and caesarean section in the German population

Background: The incidence of caesarean section (CS) is steadily rising world-wide. In particular, CS on maternal demand is performed more frequently. In parts, this might be due to insufficient information of pregnant women about neonatal risks of CS. We sought to specify neonatal outcomes following different modes of delivery, i.e. vaginal delivery, primary CS and secondary CS and to define risk factors for respiratory morbidity and hospitalization.
Methods: We analysed 2073 births (gestational age > 35 weeks) during a two-year period at a tertiary obstetric and neonatal centre in Germany. Statistical analyses were performed for single parameters by SPSS as well as by logistic regression to account for possible confounders. Furthermore, extensive model calculation was done.
Results: Respiratory morbidity was increased following primary and secondary CS (p = 0.001). By multiple logistic regression, the strongest effect on respiratory symptoms was seen with gestational age, each week more in utero reducing the risk by an odds ratio (OR) of 0.69 (95% CI: [0.61; 0.79]; p = 1.9 × 10⁻⁸). Furthermore, a significant interaction between mode of delivery and gestational age was found for the risk of respiratory symptoms (p = 0.0035).
Conclusion: For every eight newborns delivered by primary CS one more than expected with vaginal delivery is hospitalized. It is highly relevant to recognize that each week of gestational age reduces the risk of respiratory symptoms, especially if primary CS is performed. The higher rate of respiratory morbidity and neonatal admission following CS should be clearly recognized in counselling of pregnant women.     

选择性剖宫产儿急性呼吸窘迫综合征发病机制研究进展

新生儿急性呼吸窘迫综合征是新生儿较常见的呼吸道疾病,多见于选择性剖宫产儿,具体发病机制复杂,肺液清除延迟是其主要发病机制,同时胎粪吸入、呼吸反射建立延迟、胎龄、宫缩发动、男性患儿、围生期窒息、母亲有糖尿病或哮喘是其危险因素。