CONTRIBUTION OF PRETERM DELIVERY TO PERINATAL MORTALITY

Objective: To review the perinatal mortality in preterm singleton births based on birth weight and gestational age at delivery.Material and Methods: A retrospective review of hospital case notes of labour and perinatal mortality was carried out on all singleton preterm deliveries excluding congenital abnormalities from 28 to 37 weeks between 1st January 2001 - 31st December 2001. There were 3440 singleton deliveries over the study period of which 182 were preterm (5.2%).Results: The overall perinatal mortality in the preterm group was 368/ 1000. The perinatal mortality fell with advancing gestational age from being 66% at 28-31 weeks, 38% at 32-33 weeks to 20% at 34-36 weeks. The perinatal mortality rate also fell with increasing birth weight from 826/1000 birth of 1-1.49 kg to 115/1000 at 1.5-2.5 kg.Conclusion: This study has demonstrated perinatal mortality using gestational age and birth weight. The results will be of use in obstetric management when elective preterm delivery is considered, and for providing prognostic guidance following preterm delivery.