Table 1.
Maternal, obstetric and neonatal characteristics of the study population and by group, with statistical comparisons, a retrospective cohort study conducted at a Swedish hospital during 2023 (N=1382 births)
| Characteristics |
Total population
n (%) |
Caul births
n (%) |
Amniotomy
n (%) |
p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total, n | 398 | 21 | 377 | |
| Maternal age (years), mean (SD) | 30.3 (4.7) | 30.5 (2.8) | 30.2 (4.7) | 0.397a |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 26.3 (5.2) | 26.3 (3.4) | 26.3 (5.3) | 0.500a |
| Missing, n | 9 | 0 | 9 | |
| Parity | <0.001b | |||
| 0 | 192 (48.2) | 1 (4.8) | 191 (50.7) | |
| 1 | 132 (33.2) | 11 (52.4) | 121 (32.1) | |
| 2 | 52 (13.1) | 7 (33.3) | 45 (11.9) | |
| 3 | 9 (2.2) | 2 (9.5) | 7 (1.9) | |
| ≥4 | 13 (3.3) | 0 (0) | 13 (3.4) | |
| Induction of labor | 185 (46.5) | 1 (4.8) | 184 (48.8) | <0.001b |
| Epidural | 274 (68.8) | 2 (9.5) | 272 (72.1) | <0.001b |
| Gestational age (weeks) | 0.192c | |||
| <37 | 6 (1.5) | 1 (4.8) | 5 (1.3) | |
| 37–42 | 385 (96.7) | 20 (95.2) | 365 (96.8) | |
| >42 | 7 (1.8) | 0 (0) | 7 (1.9) | |
| Admission to birth (hours), median (IQR) | 14.1 (7.1–27.0) | 1.7 (0.8–3.5) | 14.7 (8.3–28.1) | <0.001c |
| Mode of birth | 0.119b | |||
| Spontaneously vaginal | 329 (82.7) | 21 (100) | 308 (81.7) | |
| Instrumental | 38 (9.5) | 0 (0) | 38 (10.1) | |
| Emergency cesarean section | 31 (7.8) | 0 (0) | 31 (8.2) | |
| Apgar score | ||||
| 1 minute, median (IQR) | 9 (9–10) | 9 (9–10) | 9 (9–10) | 0.637c |
| <7 at 5 minutes | 9 (2.3) | 0 (0) | 9 (2.4) | 1.000b |
| Umbilical cord pH | ||||
| Arterial, median (IQR) | 7.21 (7.15–2.26) | 7.28 (7.19–7.29) | 7.21 (7.15–7.25) | 0.091c |
| Missing, n | 95 | 9 | 86 | |
| Venous, median (IQR) | 7.31 (7.27–7.35) | 7.32 (7.28–7.38) | 7.31 (7.27–7.25) | 0.200c |
| Missing, n | 17 | 6 | 11 | |
| Birth experience (VAS), median (IQR) | 8 (7–10) | 9 (8.5–10) | 8 (7–10) | 0.024c |
| Missing, n | 44 | 1 | 43 |
VAS: visual analogue scale. IQR: interquartile range.
a
t-test.
b
Fisher’s exact.
c
Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.