PURPOSE: to determine whether an elective cesarean section at the 38th week of gestation for HIV positive patients, in spite of decreasing vertical transmission, increases the risk of maternal death. METHODS: fifty-eight HIV-infected patients were studied and submitted to the complete ACTG 076 protocol (oral administration of zidovudine in the prenatal period associated with the intravenous form at delivery) followed by an elective cesarean section at the 38th week of gestation. The control group consisted of 226 noninfected women (the first four patients submitted to an elective cesarian section after each cesarian section in infected patient). The analyzed variables were: uterine atonia, puerperal fever, abdominal wall infection, urinary infection, endometritis, average blood loss, surgery time, and hospitalization time. Data were analyzed by the c² test (the Fisher test was used when there were less than 5 cases). The relative risk was calculated with the Epi-Info 6.0 program. RESULTS: results show that the elective cesarean section performed on HIV-positive patients, when compared to the control group, did not present a higher incidence of uterine atonia, puerperal fever, abdominal wall infection, urinary infection or endometritis. However, a greater average blood loss (2.26 relative risk) was recorded as well as an extended surgery time (3.32 relative risk). The HIV-infected patients remained less time in hospital than the noninfected control group (0.33 relative risk). CONCLUSION: we conclude that there was no increase in maternal morbidity after cesarean section as a means of interrupting gestation in the HIV-infected patients.
HIV and pregnancy; High risk pregnancy; Cesarean section; Maternal mortality; Vertical transmission
