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Intrapartum stillbirth in a Nigerian tertiary hospital setting
Author(s) -
Chigbu Chibuike O.,
Okezie Obioma A.,
Odugu Boniface U.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2008.08.011
Subject(s) - medicine , obstetrics , psychological intervention , retrospective cohort study , pregnancy , nursing , surgery , genetics , biology
Objective To examine the nonmedical events contributing to intrapartum stillbirths in an African setting. Methods Retrospective analysis of the records of women who had intrapartum stillbirths at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, from January 1999 to December 2007. The events surrounding the delivery of these women were critically analyzed and statistically compared with those who had live births to determine the nonmedical factors contributing to the stillbirths. Results The overall stillbirth rate was 89 per 1000 births. The intrapartum stillbirth rate was 52.1 per 1000 births. Nonmedical factors contributing to stillbirths included delays in receiving appropriate management, inadequate intrapartum monitoring, inappropriate interventions, and wrong diagnosis. All 3 types of delay were significantly associated with intrapartum stillbirth ( P = 0.0001). Conclusion Intrapartum stillbirth accounts for the majority of stillbirths in this setting. Avoidable delays, suboptimal intrapartum monitoring, and inappropriate interventions contribute to the majority of intrapartum stillbirths in Nigeria.