Predictors and outcomes of surgical repair of obstetric fistula at Mekelle Hamlin Fistula Center, Northern Ethiopia.

Background: Obstetric fistula is a medical condition that involves an opening between vagina and bladder or vagina and rectum. From 2010 to 2013, on average, around 2000 women each year had surgery for obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. The success and failure rate of obstetric fistula repair varies from center to center and is determined by many factors. Thus, this study aimed to assess the predictors and outcomes of surgical repair of obstetric fistula at Mekelle Hamlin Fistula Center (MHFC).

Methods: A retrospective reviewed medical records of 328 patients with obstetric fistula were carried out at MHFC. Multivariable logistics regression analysis was conducted, a significant association was declared when the p-value was less than 0.05, and the strength of the association was determined by computing the odds ratio at 95% CI. The analysis was done using SPSS version 24.

Results: Obstetrics fistula patients who had formal education were 13% more likely to be successfully repaired than obstetrics fistula patients who had no formal education. Additionally, obstetrics fistula patients who had a live birth were 32.325 (exp (β) = 32.325) times more likely to have had a successful repair than those who had a stillbirth.

Conclusion: Fistula closure was achieved in 89.3% of cases. The success rate for VVF (vesico-vaginal fistula) and RVF (recto-vaginal fistula) surgical repair was 86.9% and 100% respectively, which is higher than the WHO target. Body mass index between 18.5-24.9 kg/m, formal education, antibiotic use, live birth, large fistula size, and home and cesarean delivery were predictors of successful closure of obstetric fistula.