History and safety of cesarean section

The original history of cesarean section is not clearly known. What is known is that cesarean delivery (which means abdominal delivery) has been practiced in various civilizations for over 2500 years. It can be safely assumed that in that bygone era, even as recently as two centuries ago, the mother stood little chance of surviving that operation.

History shows a specific law in the Roman Empire in the year 715 BC known as "Lex caesarea", which demanded the abdominal delivery of a baby if the mother died during pregnancy or labor. The term caedere means "to cut" in Latin.

Safety of cesarean section

It is very safe. When compared to a century ago, the safety of cesarean section has improved light-years. It has improved enormously, even when compared to the mid-1930s.

Compared to vaginal delivery, cesarean section, even in developed countries, has significantly higher complication rates. For this reason alone, cesarean section is and should be resorted to only when necessary. At least, this is the argument still holding sway as the first decade of the 21st century inches to a close.

Improvement in cesarean section safety over the years

There are several reasons cesarean section is markedly safer today compared to years ago.

Ø Operation techniques have evolved over time to reach a stage where optimal approaches have been adopted.

Ø The safety of anesthesia has improved quite dramatically in the last few decades. Both regional (spinal or epidural) and general anesthesia are now much safer compared to only twenty years ago.

Ø The control of infection, another major scourge of surgical procedures, is much better now. This is a result of an effective creation of a sterile environment necessary for operations as well as the development of antibiotics. Many people forget that antibiotics have only been around since the late 1920s.

Ø Blood services are much more reliable now. Since excessive blood loss is one of the more serious potential complications of this operation, reliable blood replacement is an important facet. Nowadays, blood and blood products are readily available and safe.

Ø Adoption of effective prophylactic measures against thrombosis, a known significant cause of maternal death, especially for those at increased risk.

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The 1549 edition of Allesandro Beneditti’s De Re Medica carries this illustration depicting Apollo extracting Asclepius from his mother Coronis’ abdomen as told in the famous Greek mythology