Six hundred forty three women who had a cesarean done at Belen´s Hospital from November 1991 to October 1992 were studied to determine frequency, indications and maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Incidence was 16,6% of all deliveries. Most frequent indications were repeat cesarean section (32,8%), cephalopelvic disproportion (24,5%), breech presentation (10,7%) and pregnancy induced hypertension (10,4%). Thirty nine mother (6,06%) presented morbidity: endometritis in 15 cases, anemia in 11 and abdominal wall infection in 10. One mother died from hypovolemic shock caused by placenta previa. Morbidity in neonates (71,2%) consisted in more than one pathology. Infections ocurred in 315 newborn infants (70,6%), asphyxia in 105 (23,5%) and ictericia in 82 (18,3%). Twenty-one infants died in uterus and 20 newborns died. Causes of neonatal deaths were asphyxia in 15, acute rapirat...

This study was funded by several research grants provided by the Bilateral Project 'Morphological and genetic diversity of indigenous tropical trees in the Amazon-model study of Inga edulis Mart. in Peruvian Amazon', Czech Academy of Sciences and CONCYTEC, Peru 2011-2012; The Internal Grant Agency of CULS Prague (No. 20145023, No. 20145005); The Scholarship National University of Ucayali, Peru. European Union Lifelong Learning Programme Erasmus Consortium-Practical Placement Scholarship (Certificate No. CZ-01-2009); The Foundation Nadace Nadani Josefa, Marie a Zdenky Hlavkovych, Czech Republic (Foundation Grant); and the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia grant UID/AGR/00239/2013 supported MMR.