Respiratory Distress and Elective Cesarean Section at Term

Cesarean section is a life-saving surgical operation for women and their newborns. In Egypt, caesarean sections are over-utilized. The rate increased from 27.6 % in 2008 to 51.8 % in 2014, reaching 72.2 % in 2021. Cesarean section has been associated with an increased risk of adverse respiratory outcomes in newborns. Studies have shown a higher risk of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in babies born by elective cesarean section, especially at 37 and 38 weeks' gestation. Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome is one of the leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Many non-invasive tools have been used to predict the risk of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. Most of these studies assessed the predictors of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in low birth or preterm fetuses, and none of them talked about neonatal respiratory distress syndrome with term fetuses. Doppler velocimetry provides a simple and non-invasive method to assess the fetal pulmonary circulation. Pulmonary Doppler velocimetry is used to determine lung maturity in complicated pregnancies. The magnitude of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome among term neonates depends on the availability of medical services and the number of trained medical personnel. So, there is a need to assess the rate and predictors of eonatal respiratory distress syndrome among low-risk term fetuses delivered by Cesarean section to give attention and appropriate intervention for these predictors to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with eonatal respiratory distress syndrome.