Placenta previa without morbidly adherent placenta: comparison of characteristics and outcomes between planned and emergent deliveries in a tertiary center

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare patient outcomes between planned and emergent cesarean deliveries for placenta previa without morbidly adherent placenta. Study design: All patients with confirmed, persistent placenta previa (without morbidly adherent placentation) who underwent the surgery between January 2010 and April 2016 were included in this retrospective study. Primary outcome was composite maternal morbidity defined as the presence of at least one of the followings: death, red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, hysterectomy, reoperation, hospital stay >7 d, ureteral injury, bowel injury, or cystotomy. Results: Three hundred and four patients with placenta previa were identified during the study period, of whom 154 (50.65%) had an antenatal and 10 (3.28%) had an intraoperative diagnosis of morbidly adherent placenta. One hundred and forty patients met the inclusion criteria. Eighty (57.1%) underwent planned cesarean delivery (planned cesarean delivery (PCD) group), and 60 (42.8%) required emergent cesarean delivery due to uterine contractions and/or bleeding (emergent cesarean delivery (ECD) group). Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups except for the gestational age at delivery (36.0 weeks (36.0, 37.0) in PCD versus 34.0 weeks (32.0, 36.0) in ECP, p <.001). Composite maternal morbidity was not significantly different between two groups: 11 (18.3%) in ECD and 10 (12.5%) in PCD (p =.35) Conclusions: In our referral tertiary centre, emergent and planned cesarean deliveries for placenta previa without morbidly adherent placenta have similar maternal outcomes. In patients without significant hemorrhage, delivery may be safely deferred until 36–37 weeks.