THE RATE of Caesarean hysterectomy at the Coombe Hospital is “significantly lower” than the international average, according to figures for the last decade.
Preliminary data, seen by The Irish Times, shows the average number of hysterectomies performed at the Dublin maternity hospital during the period was one per 4,164 deliveries.
The incidence of the emergency procedure worldwide is normally between one and 1.6 per 1,000 births.
The procedure, which involves removing the uterus, is normally performed as a last resort to save the life of a woman with persistent bleeding.
The practice was the source of a major health controversy after obstetrician Michael Neary was struck off the medical register in 2003 for carrying out an excessive number of hysterectomies at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.
Dr Michael Turner, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Coombe Hospital, said it was reassuring that the rate at the hospital was low by international comparison.
The figures, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Irish Perinatal Society in April, show there were 19 cases of Caesarean hysterectomies during the 10-year period at the hospital, none of which resulted in the death of the mother.
Dr Turner said 15 of the 19 cases were associated with placental bed pathology, which is related to the rising Caesarean section rate.
The rate of C-sections has risen rapidly in Ireland in recent decades and now accounts for about 25 per cent of deliveries.
“In general, our results are very good, but we are seeing a downside to the rising Caesarean section rates nationally and internationally,” Dr Turner said.
