Australia has one of the highest rates of caesarean section births in the developed world. In 2019, 36 per cent of Australian babies were delivered by the surgical procedure.
Data indicates that at least one in six of these mothers, around 15,000 women, are discharged with anaemia each year following the procedure. Anaemia is a lack of red blood cells or haemoglobin, which can make sufferers feel tired and weak.
In an award-winning study of 60 patients at the Women’s, researchers sought to understand the impact of anaemia on post-surgical recovery. The aim was to discover interventions that may improve quality of life for mothers and babies.
Dr Mark O’Donnell was awarded the 2021 Kevin McCaul prize from the Australian Society of Anaesthetists (ASA) for the study. He said anaemia was often accepted as a part of life for mothers who had given birth via caesarean section.
“We want to challenge this view and show that anaemia has negative impacts on life, just as it does after other major surgical operations,” Dr O’Donnell said.
“Our aim is to work towards reducing the prevalence of anaemia in this group of patients, first by understanding its impact and then by introducing targeted evidence-based treatments.”
The researchers asked participants whether they would be willing to undergo post-operative blood tests and ongoing questionnaires about their health.
Of the women studied, 94 per cent were willing to have blood tests to measure their haemoglobin levels after their discharge from the Women’s.
The researchers believe a multicentre study is the next step in understanding the impact of anaemia on post-operative recovery and providing better care for these women.
The Kevin McCaul prize is awarded annually to ASA members, registrars or junior specialists.