Episiotomy during natural childbirth and its complications among patients at AL-Zahrawi Hospital in Damascus

Abstract Background Episiotomy is a surgical incision made in the perineum by an obstetrician to widen the vaginal ostium to facilitate the delivery of the newborn. It is one of the most common procedures performed on women worldwide. there are somewhat few absolute contraindications for episiotomy, as episiotomy cannot be performed without the patient's consent, while relative contraindications for this procedure include a history of IBD and severe perineal deformities. Research Materials and Methods A retrospective cohort study (COHORT) was conducted on a random group of pregnant women from June 2023 to June 2024. The final sample size was 100 women, with a confidence interval of 95%. Results We found that the largest percentage of preventive Episiotomy was performed in the age group (20-25 years) at 52%. The majority of births of the women participating in the study were natural (215 natural births, 85.31%), while we found cesarean births in only a few (37 cesarean births, 14.68%). It was noted that in most cases Episiotomy was performed preventively (65% of cases), and in most of the remaining percentage (33% of cases) a selective Episiotomywas performed due to the indication for the use of obstetric forceps, and a small percentage (2% of cases) was based on The patient's desire and Episiotomy was not performed when there was a need to use a suction cup. Conclusion When necessary, protective episiotomy should be performed when using obstetric forceps and not when using a suction cup. Also, It is necessary to pay attention and care to the site of the surgical incision or tear to avoid developing a septic infection.