Pankaj Desai's Blogs

  Introduction:             Cesarean section has become the most commonly performed surgery in obstetric practice. When any procedure or technique or for that matter any drug is widely used, it is natural to look at the data to know how rational is our thinking and where has irrationality crept into our thought processes. As students of science, we seek to remain on the scientific course at all times. Therefore evidence becomes very critical for us. Undoubtedly, evidence is provided by data. Hans Rosling in his famous book Factfullness states that when in doubt look at the data. We are going to look at the data for nearly every step that we follow while performing a cesarean section and accordingly conclude. Agreed, it is impossible to cover each and every micro-aspect of the techniques involved in the surgery. However, care has been taken to include all wherein good quality data was available. Nearly all data has been genera...

I remember as a resident doctor doing post-graduation in obstetrics and gynecology there was this lady senior consultant of ours who always had her anger on the tip of her nose.  We all used to be terrified of her and many would run helter-skelter on seeing her.  Once while I was doing some post-operative routine work in the wards I heard a big commotion near the operation theater door. She was shouting at the top of her voice. Inquisitively, I went closer to find an old man standing in front of her trembling and with folded hands as if pleading for mercy. She was blasting him. It seems she on coming out of the operation theater on finishing some difficult surgery saw something unsavory.  There were beedi ( a thin, Indian cigarette filled with tobacco flake and wrapped in a tendu leaf tied with a string at one end ) stubs littered all around plump near the door of the Operation Theater. I did not need a minute to understand what must have happened. The man must b...