Open AccessAnalysis of Intrapartum Fetal Deaths: Their decline with increasing electronic fetal monitoring
Author(s) -
Erkkola R.,
Grönroos M.,
Punn R.,
Kilkku P.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016348409156703
Subject(s) - medicine , obstetrics , placental abruption , fetus , hypoxia (environmental) , fetal death , obstetrics and gynaecology , pregnancy , gynecology , chemistry , organic chemistry , biology , oxygen , genetics
. Over a 12‐year period, from 1970 to 1981, 30600 babies were born at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland. During that period, the use of electronic fetal monitoring increased remarkably, being involved in 9, 12, 33 and 95% of all vaginal deliveries during four consecutive 3‐year periods. The number of intrapartum deaths during the same 12‐year period was 52, giving an overall rate of 1.7 per thousand. When 15 lethally malformed infants are excluded, the rate becomes 1.2 per thousand. In the four consecutive 3‐year periods, the death rates were 1.7, 1.9, 1.0 and 0.3 per thousand. Electronic fetal monitoring was not undertaken in any of the cases leading to fetal death. The main factor leading to fetal death could be considered to be hypoxia in approximately 90% of the deaths of normally formed babies. The most common reasons for hypoxia were placental abruption and cord entanglement, yet in many cases only the decreased placental perfusion could be suggested to have caused the hypoxia. The mean weight of those babies that died intra‐partally decreased significantly, being approximately 1 250 g during the last 3‐year period.