Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2015; 3(2): 26-28 Published online March 2, 2015 (http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/jgo) doi: 10.11648/j.jgo.20150302.12 ISSN: 2376-7812 (Print); ISSN: 2376-7820 (Online) Magnitude and Pattern of Caesarean Sections in a Teaching Hospital, Northwest Nigeria: A 5 Year Analysis I. S. Abubakar 1, 3, * , A. Rabiu 1, 3 , A. D. Mohammed 2, 3 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria 2 Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria 3 Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria Email address: idi.sulaiman@gmail.com (I. S. Abubakar) To cite this article: I. S. Abubakar, A. Rabiu, A. D. Mohammed. Magnitude and Pattern of Caesarean Sections in a Teaching Hospital, Northwest Nigeria: A 5 Year Analysis. Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Vol. 3, No. 2, 2015, pp. 26-28. doi: 10.11648/j.jgo.20150302.12 Abstract: Background: The pattern of Caesarean section rate is on the rise with emergency surpassing elective caesarean deliveries. This could not be unconnected to the safety of anaesthesia in modern obstetrics. Method: Data on Caesarean deliveries conducted from January, 2005 to December, 2009 was analyzed using Epi Info Statistical Software. Results: The Caesarean section rate was 18.75%. The mean age was 28.02±5.86 years. Emergency Caesarean section was the majority (59.4%) while the remaining (40.6%) were elective. General anaesthesia was used for the majority (66.68 %) of the cases, while 33.32% had subarachnoid block. Univariate analysis, shows statistically significant association between the type of surgery and anaesthetic technique used (χ 2 =22.741, df = 1, p = 0.000). A statistically significant association was also established between age group of the patients and the anaesthetic technique (χ 2 =10.878, df = 2, p = 0.004). However, there was no statistically significant association between age group of the patients and the type of Caesarean section (χ 2 =0.224, df = 2, p = 0.894). Conclusion: The high rate of emergency caesarean intervention has been a persistent denominator in several studies. The root cause of these anomalies such as dearth of expertise at secondary facilities should be addressed. With effective pregnancy supervision, obstetric cases that would end with emergency intervention can be handled electively. Keywords: Caesarean Sections, Magnitude, Northern Nigeria, Pattern, Teaching Hospital 1. Introduction Pregnancy and parturition are physiological processes that mostly end with successful delivery of product of conception through os naturalis. These processes however do not always end this way. In situations where such is not feasible, alternative mode of delivery is employed to reduce risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and/or mortality. Among such modalities is caesarean section which is a surgical procedure for delivering fetus, placenta and membranes, through an abdominal and uterine incision 1 . It has been practiced since antiquity for several reasons 2 . Until the development of asepsis and anaesthesia in the 19 th century, Caesarean section was bedeviled with poor outcome for both the mother and the fetus 3,5 . The safety of this operation has tremendously increased the rate on a global scale but not without attendant complications. The impact on the resources of health care facilities as well as economic, social and psychological burden to individual families and communities involved can be enormous 6 . The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the Caesarean section rate should be 10-15% 7 . However, there is wide variation of this rate globally as well as locally 8,9 . Although elective Caesarean section is considered safer for both mother and fetus, when compared with emergency Caesarean section, the latter continued to exact its dominance in frequency in most health facilities in Nigeria 8,9 . Regional anaesthesia is generally recommended over general anaesthesia in term of safety for both the parturient and the fetus 10,11 . This study is aimed at revealing the magnitude and pattern of Caesarean section at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano, Nigeria. 2. Materials and Methods Data from operation and anaesthetic registers of pregnant women that had Caesarean section at Aminu Kano Teaching