One woman who delivered by day required a bladder repair for an injury at CS. The incidence of low Apgar scores,

fetal acidosis, neonatal trauma and NICU admission was not significantly different by day and at night. There were no perinatal deaths and the incidence of severe adverse perinatal outcomes was low. Four babies (three by day and one at night) were treated for PS-341 molecular weight hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and in all cases the cerebral function analysis monitor was normal and brain cooling was not required. Two babies (both by day) had an intracranial haemorrhage diagnosed on ultrasound scan, but in each case a follow-up MRI was normal. Three babies (one by day and two at night) had a brachial plexus injury at the time of hospital discharge and five babies (four by day and one at night) were admitted to the special care baby unit for more than 7 days. Table 4 Maternal and neonatal outcomes in relation to time of operative vaginal delivery Discussion Main findings This cohort study provides detailed information on obstetric practice and morbidity outcomes for OVDs performed by day and at night in a teaching hospital setting. Half of

all OVDs and second stage CSs occurred outside routine working hours when consultants are likely to be at home. Although a greater proportion of OVDs were performed by mid-grade operators at night with less direct consultant supervision, this did not result in worse outcomes for mothers and babies. Despite reduced staffing at night, mean decision-to-delivery intervals of between 12 and 13 min were achievable. Strengths and limitations of the study The findings of this cohort study reflect the maternal, fetal and surgical outcomes of OVDs performed during a 10-month period in a high-volume women and infants hospital. The morbidity outcomes compare favourably with centres in the UK.15 17 18 Recruitment methods were robust and multiple sources of ascertainment ensured that no OVDs were missed. Medical records and case report forms were cross-checked with computerised

records which minimised missing data and allowed validation for accuracy. It would have been possible to include a much Cilengitide larger cohort using routinely collected data and a retrospective study design, but detailed information on intrapartum care would have been unavailable.19 Restricting recruitment to nulliparous women resulted in a smaller cohort, but eliminated confounding factors associated with previous deliveries. Labour can be a lengthy process, particularly for induced nulliparous women, and women requiring an OVD may have received care across the two time periods of day and night. For the purpose of the analyses, we defined cases by time of birth, which is the most objective measure. The study was powered to address the commonly occurring maternal and neonatal complications, but the sample size was insufficient to address rare outcomes such as neonatal seizures and perinatal death.