Objective To examine labour characteristics and outcomes associated with second stage caesarean section (CS) over a ten-year period within a tertiary maternity centre.

Method This was prospective observational study over a ten-year period from 2003 to 2012. Labour characteristics and outcomes of all second stage caesarean deliveries were included for statistical analysis, which was performed by means of Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS.

Results The study included 87,192 deliveries during the aforementioned period. CS at full dilatation was performed in 0.7% (641) of all deliveries. 74% (472/641) of these deliveries were in nulliparous women. The majority of women who had a second stage CS had an epidural in situ (89%[570/641]) and 40% (260/641) of patients underwent induction of labour. Malpresentation was diagnosed in 18% (117/641) of parturients, with the majority of these being of occipito-posterior position (93/117). Of the infants delivered through CS in second stage, 37.5% were macrosomic and 23% required admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Conclusion While CS in second stage it an infrequent event it is more likely to occur in nulliparous women, with an association with fetal macrosomia and malposition in addition to an increased rates of admission to NICU.