No Association Between Surgeon Gender and Maternal Morbidity After Cesarean Delivery

The stereotype that men perform surgery better than women is ancient. Surgeons have long been mainly men, but in recent decades an inversion has begun; the number of women surgeons is increasing, especially in obstetrics and gynecology. Studies outside obstetrics suggest that postoperative morbidity and mortality may be lower after surgery by women.

Results

• Among 4244 women included, men surgeons performed 943 cesarean deliveries (22.2%) and women surgeons performed 3301 (77.8%).

• The rate of attending obstetricians was higher among men than women

• The risk of maternal morbidity did not differ for men and women surgeons: 119 of 837 (14.2%) vs 476 of 2928 (16.3%)

• Interaction between surgeon gender and level of experience on the risk of maternal morbidity was not statistically significant.

• Similarly, the groups did not differ for PPH risk

Risks of postoperative maternal morbidity and of PPH exceeding 1000 mL or requiring transfusion by day 2 did not differ by the surgeon's gender.

Reference:

Bouchghoul H, Deneux-Tharaux C, Georget A, et al. Association Between Surgeon Gender and Maternal Morbidity After Cesarean Delivery. JAMA Surg. Published online January 25,

2023. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2022.7063

Keywords:

JAMA Surgery, Bouchghoul H, Deneux-Tharaux C, Georget A, Association, Between, Surgeon, Gender, Maternal, Morbidity, After, Cesarean,Delivery