Profile of Stillbirths in a Referral Hospital From Northeast India- A Record Based Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND A foetal death is defined as "death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy; the death is indicated by the fact that after such separation the foetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles" without specification of the duration of pregnancy. India has highest number of stillbirths in the world. Stillbirths are largely preventable if good quality obstetric care is made available at the right time. Currently, there are no global, systematic estimates for stillbirth causes of death. Acquiring more knowledge about stillbirths is important because of its significant contribution to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Aim-The purpose of the study is to understand the stillbirth profile to understand sociodemographic profile of the affected mothers, aetiology and seek ways of avoiding its recurrence by identification of risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study is a record based retrospective carried out in a tertiary care hospital from northeast India, from January 2016 to June 2016. Records were examined for address of the mother, her age, gestational age, gravida and parity, medical and obstetrical condition leading to stillbirth, weight, sex and condition of the foetus at the time of birth (macerated or fresh). RESULTS Total 4078 numbers of live births were recorded during the period of study. Total number of stillbirths recorded in the stillbirth registry was 114. Stillbirth rate for the hospital was 27.95/1000 births. Most of the mothers experiencing stillbirth were of the age group 20-25 years (52.6%) and were multiparous. Preterm was the most common gestational age group among stillbirths. Pregnancy-induced hypertension was the most common cause of stillbirth. CONCLUSION Present study shows that the risk of stillbirth is more among multigravidae women of age group of 20-25 years with prematurity and pregnancy-induced hypertension being other risk factors. Better obstetrical care can help in reduction of stillbirth rate.

Congenital Malformation in Stillbirths- A Hospital Based Study

“…1 In a study carried out by the author in the same hospital, about 54.38% of stillbirth were premature. 9 In studies from Sweden, most stillbirths could be attributed to an aetiology. In those studies, more than 50% of stillbirths had identified aetiology including congenital malformation.…”