Estimated frequency of instrumented vaginal delivery in Colombia between 2015 and 2019. Population registry-based cross-sectional study

Objectives: To assess the frequency of instrumented delivery in Colombia and by regions between 2015 and 2019.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study based on population registries. Records of women with a gestational age of more than 28 weeks and vaginal delivery were included. Consecutive sampling was used. The information was taken from live birth certificates of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE). Sociodemographic and clinical variables were described. The frequency of instrumented deliveries was calculated and described by year and by department.

Results: Overall, 3,224,218 live birth records were included. Of these 1,719,405 (53.33 %) were vaginal deliveries and 1,468,726 (45.55 %) were cesarean births. At a national level, the frequency of instrumented deliveries between 2015 and 2019 was 36,087 births (1.11 %); Antioquia and Bogotá, D.C. were the places with the highest occurrence, with 16,201 (4.5 %) and 13,686 (2.52 %), respectively.

Conclusions: The occurrence of instrumented vaginal delivery in Colombia is the lowest and tends to diminish. Training of healthcare professionals in this approach during labor must not be abandoned, particularly in Obstetrics and Gynecology training programs. Further studies should be conducted to determine whether the increased adequate use of this technique could contribute to a lower rate of cesarean sections, and also to describe the clinical setting in which its use is safe for both the mother and the fetus. Prospective studies are required to identify the causes leading to the lower use of this obstetric tool as well as the risks and benefits in terms of maternal and perinatal outcomes.