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A prospective study of the outcome of care of a regional cohort of very low birthweight (< 1500 g) and very preterm (< 32 weeks) infants was carried out. Its aims were to assess the ability of the CRIB (clinical risk index for babies) score, rather than gestational age or birthweight, to predict mortality before hospital discharge, neurological morbidity, and length of stay, and to access CRIB score as an indicator of neonatal intensive care performance. 676 live births fulfilled the criteria and complete data were available for 643 (95%). Compared with gestation and birthweight, CRIB was better for the prediction of mortality, was as good for the prediction of morbidity, and was not as good for the prediction of length of stay. CRIB adjusted mortality did not demonstrate better performance in units providing the highest level of care. Either the CRIB score was not sensitive to performance or the level 3 hospitals in this study were performing badly. On the basis of this analysis purchasers and providers of neonatal intensive care cannot yet rely on the CRIB score as a performance indicator.

Objective

To review Indigenous infant mortality, stillbirth, birth weight, and preterm birth outcomes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

Methods

Systematic searches of published literature and a review and assessment of existing perinatal surveillance systems were undertaken. Where possible, within country comparisons of Indigenous to non-Indigenous birth outcomes are included.

Results

Indigenous/non-Indigenous infant mortality rate ratios range from 1.6 to 4.0. Stillbirth rates, where data are available, are also uniformly higher for Indigenous people. In all four countries, the disparities in Indigenous/non-Indigenous infant mortality rate ratios are most marked in the post-neonatal period. With few exceptions, the rates of leading causes of infant mortality are higher among Indigenous infants than non-Indigenous infants within all four countries. In most cases, rates of small for gestational age and preterm birth were also elevated for Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous infants.

Conclusions

There are significant disparities in Indigenous/non-Indigenous birth outcomes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. These Indigenous/non-Indigenous birth outcome disparities fit the criteria for health inequities, as they are not only unnecessary and avoidable, but also unfair and unjust.

Background

Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) populations have disproportionately high rates of adverse perinatal outcomes relative to other Australians. Poorer access to good quality maternal health care is a key driver of this disparity. The aim of this study was to describe patterns of delivery of maternity care and service gaps in primary care services in Australian Indigenous communities.

Methods

We undertook a cross-sectional baseline audit for a quality improvement intervention. Medical records of 535 women from 34 Indigenous community health centres in five regions (Top End of Northern Territory 13, Central Australia 2, Far West New South Wales 6, Western Australia 9, and North Queensland 4) were audited. The main outcome measures included: adherence to recommended protocols and procedures in the antenatal and postnatal periods including: clinical, laboratory and ultrasound investigations; screening for gestational diabetes and Group B Streptococcus; brief intervention/advice on health-related behaviours and risks; and follow up of identified health problems.

Results

The proportion of women presenting for their first antenatal visit in the first trimester ranged from 34% to 49% between regions; consequently, documentation of care early in pregnancy was poor. Overall, documentation of routine antenatal investigations and brief interventions/advice regarding health behaviours varied, and generally indicated that these services were underutilised. For example, 46% of known smokers received smoking cessation advice/counselling; 52% of all women received antenatal education and 51% had investigation for gestational diabetes. Overall, there was relatively good documentation of follow up of identified problems related to hypertension or diabetes, with over 70% of identified women being referred to a GP/Obstetrician.

Conclusion

Participating services had both strengths and weaknesses in the delivery of maternal health care. Increasing access to evidence-based screening and health information (most notably around smoking cessation) were consistently identified as opportunities for improvement across services.

Background

There is a lack of data on the safety of midwife-led maternity care in remote or indigenous communities. In a de facto natural “experiment”, birth outcomes were assessed by primary birthing attendant in two sets of remote Inuit communities.

Methods

A geocoding-based retrospective birth cohort study in 14 Inuit communities of Nunavik, Canada, 1989–2000: primary birth attendants were Inuit midwives in the Hudson Bay (1529 Inuit births) vs western physicians in Ungava Bay communities (1197 Inuit births). The primary outcome was perinatal death. Secondary outcomes included stillbirth, neonatal death, post-neonatal death, preterm, small-for-gestational-age and low birthweight birth. Multilevel logistic regression was used to obtain the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) controlling for maternal age, marital status, parity, education, infant sex and plurality, community size and community-level random effects.

Results

The aORs (95% confidence interval) for perinatal death comparing the Hudson Bay vs Ungava Bay communities were 1.29 (0.63 to 2.64) for all Inuit births and 1.13 (0.48 to 2.47) for Inuit births at ≥28 weeks of gestation. There were no statistically significant differences in the crude or adjusted risks of any of the outcomes examined.

Conclusion

Risks of perinatal death were somewhat but not significantly higher in the Hudson Bay communities with midwife-led maternity care compared with the Ungava Bay communities with physician-led maternity care. These findings are inconclusive, although the results excluding extremely preterm births are more reassuring concerning the safety of midwife-led maternity care in remote indigenous communities.

The perinatal mortality rate for Asian babies born in Bradford during the five years 1974-8 was persistently higher than for babies born to United Kingdom mothers. A comparative review of 18 924 British indigenous and 6443 Asian immigrant maternity patients delivered in Bradford from 1974-8 demonstrated several differences between the two ethnic groups. Factors operating in favour of Asian women were fewer teenage mothers, lower rates of illegitimacy, and fewer smokers. On the other hand, a greater number of factors presented increased risks to Asian patients-more women aged over 35, lower social class, higher parity, shorter pregnancy intervals, previous perinatal deaths, shorter duration of antenatal care, anaemia, shorter gestations, more babies born without professional help, and more low-birthweight babies. Local health education programmes are now concentrating on encouraging expectant mothers to attend early and regularly for antenatal care, to breast-feed their babies, and to increase the interval between pregnancies to at least one year.

A retrospective study of cases of preterm caesarean section was carried out at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital between January 1985 and December 1989. A total of 1973 caesarean sections were performed; 167 (8%) of these were preterm sections. Most of the patients were "booked" (133 cases, 80%) while 34 patients (20%) were "unbooked." The most common indications for preterm caesarean sections were preeclampsia, placenta previa, and premature rupture of membranes. The perinatal and maternal mortality were high: 257 per 1000 and 11 per 1000, respectively. Timely hospital admission, better intrapartum care, and vaginal delivery of very low birthweight babies are suggested to reduce the incidence of preterm caesarean section and its attendant complications in our hospital practice.

Background: Previous studies suggest that high risk and low birthweight babies have better outcomes if born in hospitals with level III neonatal intensive care units. Relations between obstetric care, particularly intrapartum interventions and perinatal outcomes, are less well understood, however.

Objective: To investigate effects of obstetric, paediatric, and demographic factors on rates of hospital stillbirths and neonatal mortality.

Methods: Cross sectional data on all 65 maternity units in all Thames Regions, 1994–1996, covering 540 834 live births and stillbirths. Hospital level analyses investigated associations between staffing rates (consultant/junior paediatricians, consultant/junior obstetricians, midwives), facilities (consultant obstetrician/anaesthetist sessions, delivery beds, special care baby unit, neonatal intensive care unit cots, etc), interventions (vaginal births, caesarean sections, forceps, epidurals, inductions, general anaesthetic), parental data (parity, maternal age, social class, deprivation, multiple births), and birthweight standardised stillbirth rates and neonatal mortality.

Results: Unifactorial analyses showed consistent negative associations between measures of obstetric intervention and stillbirth rates. Some measures of staffing, facilities, and parental data also showed significant associations. Scores for interventional, organisational, and parental variables were derived for multifactorial analysis to overcome the statistical problems caused by high intercorrelations between variables. A higher intervention score and higher number of consultant obstetricians per 1000 births were both independently and significantly associated with lower stillbirth rates. Organisational and parental factors were not significant after adjustment. Only Townsend deprivation score was significantly associated with neonatal mortality (positive correlation).

Conclusions: Birthweight adjusted stillbirth rates were significantly lower in units that took a more interventionalist approach and in those with higher levels of consultant obstetric staffing. There were no apparent associations between neonatal death rates and the hospital factors measured here.

We calculated new birthweight and head circumference centiles for boys and girls between 24 and 42 weeks' gestation from 20,713 singleton live births at our hospital between 1978 and 1984. Among the 803 babies born at or before 34 weeks' gestation, 28% were delivered electively for fetal problems; they were considerably lighter than babies born after spontaneous preterm labour. In contrast, they showed only a small deficit in head circumference, possibly due to a brain sparing effect in growth retarded infants. Electively delivered preterm infants cause a bias in birthweight and head circumference centiles and we recommend that these babies should be excluded when these centiles are calculated.

OBJECTIVES—To compare outcomes of care in selected neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) for very low birthweight (VLBW) or preterm infants in Scotland and Australia (study 1) and perinatal care for all VLBW infants in both countries (study 2).
DESIGN—Study 1: risk adjusted cohort study; study 2: population based cohort study.
SUBJECTS—Study 1: all 2621 infants of < 1500 g birth weight or < 31 weeks' gestation admitted to a volunteer sample of hospitals comprising eight of all 17 Scottish NICUs and six of all 12 tertiary NICUs in New South Wales and Queensland in 1993-1994; study 2: all 5986infants of 500-1499 g birth weight registered as live born in Scotland and Australia in 1993-1994.
MAIN OUTCOMES—Study 1: (a) hospital death; (b) death or cerebral damage, each adjusted for gestation and CRIB (clinical risk index for babies); study 2: neonatal (28 day) mortality.
RESULTS—Study 1. Data were obtained for 1628 admissions in six Australian NICUs, 775 in five Scottish tertiary NICUs, and 148 in three Scottish non-tertiary NICUs. Crude hospital death rates were 13%, 22%, and 22% respectively. Risk adjusted hospital mortality was about 50% higher in Scottish than in Australian NICUs (adjusted mortality ratio 1.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29 to 1.63,p < 0.001). There was no difference in risk adjusted outcomes between Scottish tertiary and non-tertiary NICUs. After risk adjustment, death or cerebral damage was more common in Scottish than Australian NICUs (odds ratio 1.9, 95% CI 1.5 to 2.5). Both these risk adjusted adverse outcomes remained more common in Scottish than Australian NICUs after excluding all infants < 28 weeks' gestation from the comparison. Study 2. Population based neonatal mortality in infants of 500-1499 g was higher in Scotland (20.3%) than Australia (16.6%) (relative risk 1.22, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.39, p = 0.002). In a post hoc analysis, neonatal mortality was also higher in England and Wales than in Australia.
CONCLUSIONS—Study 1: outcome was better in the Australian NICUs. Study 2: perinatal outcome was better in Australia. Both results may be consistent, at least in part, with differences in the organisation and implementation of neonatal care.



A total of 440 perinatal deaths occurring in a maternity hospital over a 6 year period have been analysed clinically and pathologically. The decline in mortality could be attributed to a reduction in asphyxial deaths, lethal malformations, and macerated stillbirths. The establishment of a neonatal intensive care unit seemed to have been more successful in combating birth asphyxia than respiratory distress syndrome. Although the greatest reduction in perinatal mortality was in babies with birthweights between 1 and 1.5 kg, there was no decline in the deaths from hyaline membrane disease or intraventricular haemorrhage, or both. The most striking change was the drop in asphyxia as a cause of perinatal death which was independent of birth trauma. Earlier diagnosis of fetal distress with obstetric intervention and the establishment of the intensive care unit were seen as the main factors in this change, and their mutual dependence and evolution are emphasised.

Objective

To assess whether risk‐adjusted mortality in very low birthweight or preterm infants is associated with levels of nursing provision.

Design

Prospective study of risk‐adjusted mortality in infants admitted to a random sample of neonatal units.

Setting

Fifty four UK neonatal intensive care units stratified by: patient volume; consultant availability; nurse:cot ratios.

Patients

A group of 2585 very low birthweight (birthweight <1500 g) or preterm (<31 weeks gestation) infants.

Main Outcome Measure

Death before discharge or planned deaths at home, excluding lethal malformations, after adjusting for initial risk 12 hours after birth using gestation at birth and measures of illness severity in relation to nursing provision calculated for each baby's neonatal unit stay.

Results

A total of 57% of nursing shifts were understaffed, with greater shortages at weekends. Risk‐adjusted mortality was inversely related to the provision of nurses with specialist neonatal qualifications (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.97). Increasing the ratio of nurses with neonatal qualifications to intensive care and high dependency infants to 1:1 was associated with a decrease in risk‐adjusted mortality of 48% (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.83).

Conclusions

Risk‐adjusted mortality did not differ across neonatal units. However, survival in neonatal care for very low birthweight or preterm infants was related to proportion of nurses with neonatal qualifications per shift. The findings could be used to support specific standards of specialist nursing provision in neonatal and other areas of intensive and high dependency care.

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to examine the effect of maternal age, gravidity, marital status, previous perinatal deaths, and parental social class on babies born low birthweight, preterm, and small for gestational age. DESIGN--The study used data on discharge summaries from all maternity hospitals in Scotland. SETTING--The study was based on all singleton deliveries in Scotland. PARTICIPANTS--The analysis involved information on 259,462 singleton babies born during the four years 1981-84 in Scotland. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--Previous perinatal death was found to be the strongest predictor for both preterm and low birthweight. Single mothers were at particularly high risk of having a small for gestational age baby and those who were previously married of having a preterm baby. Women aged less than 20 years old, those over 34 years old, nulligravidae, and those of parity 3 or more were also at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. Mothers and fathers in manual social classes and those who could not be assigned a social class on the basis of their occupation were at increased risk for all three adverse outcomes studied. The babies of parents who were in manual occupations were twice as likely as those of parents in non-manual occupations to be small for gestational age and almost twice as likely to be low birthweight. CONCLUSIONS--Mother's social class is a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcome independent of maternal age, parity, and adverse reproductive history, and also independent of father's social class. Information on both parents' occupations should be collected in maternity discharge systems.

The relation between intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) and hyaline membrane disease (HMD) was studied in singletons that came to necropsy at Hammersmith Hospital over the years 1966-73. The incidence of IVH in singleton live births was 3-22/1000 and of HMD 4-44/1000. Although the high figures were partily due to the large number of low birthweight infants born at this hospital, the incidence of IVH in babies weighing 1001-1500 g was three times as great as that reported in the 1658 British Perinatal Mortality Survey. Most IVH deaths were in babies with HMD, but the higher frequency of IVH was not associated with any prolongation of survival time of babies who died with HMD as compared with the 1958 survey. IVH was seen frequently at gestations of up to 36 weeks in babies with HMD but was rare above 30 weeks' gestation in babies without HMD. This indicated that factors associated with HMD must cause most cases of IVH seen at gestations above 30 weeks. Comparison of clinical details in infants with HMD who died with or without IVH (at gestations of 30-37 weeks) showed no significant differences between the groups other than a high incidence of fits and greater use of alkali therapy in the babies with IVH. During the 12 hours when most alkali therapy was given, babies dying with IVD received a mean total alkali dosage of 10-21 mmol/kg and those dying without IVH 6-34 mmol/kg (P less than 0-001).There was no difference in severity of hypoxia or of metabolic acidosis between the 2 groups. Babies who died with HMD and germinal layer haemorrhage (GLH) without IVH had received significantly more alkali than those who died with HMD alone, whereas survivors of severe respiratory distress syndrome had received lower alkali doses than other groups. It is suggested that the greatly increased death rate from IVH in babies with HMD indicates some alteration of management of HMD (since 1958) as a causative factor. Liberal use of hypertonic alkali solutions is the common factor which distinguishes babies dying with GLH and IVH from other groups of babies with HMD. Although the causal nature of this association remains unproved, it seems justifiable to lrge caution in alkali usage.

Background:

Early marriage and confinement are contributing factors to high maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity.

Objective:

To assess the magnitude of the problem of teenage pregnancy and its complications.

Materials and Methods:

A hospital-based cohort study was undertaken over 4 months among women admitted to a rural hospital in West Bengal. The study cohort comprised of teenage mothers between 15-19 years old and a control cohort of mothers between 20-24 years old. Data included demographic variables, available medical records, and complications viz. anemia, preterm delivery, and low birth weight. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin level below 10 gm% during the last trimester of pregnancy, preterm delivery was defined as occurring within 37 weeks of gestation, and low birth weight was defined as babies weighing less than 2500 grams at birth.

Result:

Teenage pregnancy comprised 24.17% of total pregnancies occurring in the hospital during the study period. The study group had 58 subjects and the control group had 91 subjects. The prevalence of anemia was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the women in the teenage group (62.96%) than in the women in the control group (43.59%). However, severe anemia with a hemoglobin level below 8 gm% was only found in the control group. Preterm delivery occurred significantly more (P<0.001) in the study group (51.72%) than in the control group (25.88%). The incidence of low birth weight was significantly higher (P<0.0001) among the group of teenagers (65.52%) than among the women in the control group (26.37%). Not a single newborn was above 3 kg in the study group, while none were below 1.5 kg in the control group. The mean birth weight was 2.36 kg in the study group and 2.74 kg in the control group; the difference was strongly significant (P<0.001).

Conclusion:

The study shows that anemia, preterm delivery, and low birth weight were more prevalent among teenagers than among women who were 20-24 years old. This indicates the need for enhancing family welfare measures to delay the age at first pregnancy, thereby reducing the multiple complications that may occur in the young mother and her newborn baby.

The relationship between perinatal outcome and antenatal care was investigated at King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, by a case control retrospective study of pregnancy records in 165 perinatal deaths and 156 infants surviving the perinatal period. 82% of the mothers of live infants had booked for antenatal care compared with only 60% of those who experienced a perinatal death. Hospital booking was associated with a higher infant birthweight. For those who booked earlier there was no reduction in total perinatal mortality or the stillbirth:neonatal death ratio, and many of the mothers of highest risk failed to book. This suggests that the better perinatal outcome in booked mothers may have been secondary to the type of mother who chose to book, rather than the actual antenatal care. To help reduce perinatal mortality, methods must be employed which reach those mothers who are most likely to fail to book.

Background

Very low birthweight, i.e. a birthweight < 1500 g, is among the strongest determinants of infant mortality and childhood morbidity. To develop primary prevention approaches to VLBW birth and its sequelae, information is needed on the causes of preterm birth, their personal and social antecedents, and on conditions associated with very low birthweight. Despite the growing body of evidence linking sociodemographic variables with preterm delivery, little is known as to how this may be extrapolated to the risk of very low birthweight.

Methods

In 1992, two years after the German unification, we started to recruit two cohorts of very low birthweight infants and controls in East and West Berlin for a long-term neurodevelopmental study. The present analysis was undertaken to compare potential preconceptional risk factors for very low birthweight delivery in a case-control design including 166 mothers (82 East vs. 84 West Berlin) with very low birthweight delivery and 341 control mothers (166 East vs. 175 West).

Results

Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the effects of various dichotomous parental covariates and their interaction with living in East or West Berlin. After backward variable selection, short maternal school education, maternal unemployment, single-room apartment, smoking, previous preterm delivery, and fetal loss emerged as significant main effect variables, together with living in West Berlin as positive effect modificator for single-mother status.

Conclusion

Very low birthweight has been differentially associated with obstetrical history and indicators of maternal socioeconomic status in East and West Berlin. The ranking of these risk factors is under the influence of the political framework.

OBJECTIVE

Increasing paternal birthweight has been associated with increased risk of fathering a preterm infant, causing speculation that a fetus programmed to grow rapidly can trigger preterm labor.

METHODS

Pregnancies occurring from 1974 to 1989 among women themselves born in the Danish Perinatal Study (1959–61) were identified through the Population Register; obstetrical records were abstracted. Paternal birthweight was obtained by linking Personal Identification Numbers of the fathers to archived midwifery records.

RESULTS

Paternal birthweight was not associated with preterm infants overall. However, there was a significant interaction between paternal and maternal birthweights (p=0.003). When the mother weighed <3 kg at birth, increasing paternal birthweight was associated with increased occurrence of preterm birth (p for trend=0.02); paternal birthweight was unassociated with preterm birth for mothers weighing ≥3 kg at birth (p=0.34).

CONCLUSION

When the mother was born small, increasing paternal birthweight was associated with increased risk of preterm birth, suggesting that a fetus growing faster than its mother can accommodate might trigger preterm birth.

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether the excess aluminum sulphate accidentally added to the local water supply in north Cornwall in July 1988 had an adverse effect on the outcome of pregnancies. DESIGN--Outcomes of all singleton pregnancies in the affected area at the time of the incident (n = 92) were compared with those in two control groups: pregnancies in this area completed before the incident (n = 68) and pregnancies in a neighbouring area (n = 193). SUBJECTS--Mothers in the three groups, among whom there were 13 miscarriages, five terminations of pregnancy, and 336 live births. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Fetal and perinatal loss, birth weight, gestation, obstetric complications, neonatal condition, and congenital defects. RESULTS--Among 88 pregnancies in women exposed to excess aluminum sulphate there was no excess of perinatal deaths (n = 0), low birthweight (n = 3), preterm delivery (n = 4), or severe congenital malformations (n = 0). There was, however, an increased rate of talipes in exposed fetuses (four cases, one control; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS--Because of small numbers it is not possible to say that high doses of aluminum sulphate are safe in pregnancy, but there is no evidence from this study of major problems apparent at birth.

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether babies in an area of Britain with unusually high perinatal mortality have different patterns of fetal growth to those born elsewhere in the country. DESIGN--Measurement of body size in newborn babies. SETTING--Burnley (perinatal mortality in 1988 15.9/1000 total births) and Salisbury (perinatal mortality 10.8/1000 total births), England. SUBJECTS--Subjects comprised 1544 babies born in Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale Health District, and 1025 babies born in Salisbury Health District. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Birthweight, length, head, arm and abdominal circumferences, and placental weight were determined. RESULTS--Compared with babies born in Salisbury, Burnley babies had lower mean birthweight (difference 116 g, 95% confidence interval (CI) 77,154), smaller head circumferences (difference 0.3 cm, 95% CI 0.2, 0.4), and were thinner as measured by arm circumference (difference 0.3 cm, 95% CI 0.3, 0.4), abdominal circumference (difference 0.5 cm, 95% CI 0.4, 0.6) and ponderal index (difference 0.8 kg/m3, 95% CI 0.6, 1.0). The ratio of placental weight to birthweight was higher in Burnley (difference 0.6%, 95% CI 0.4, 0.9). These differences were found in boys and girls and did not depend on differences in duration of gestation or on the different ethnic mix of the two districts. Mothers in Burnley were younger, shorter in stature, had had more children, were of lower social class, and more of them smoked during pregnancy than mothers in Salisbury. These differences did not explain the greater thinness of their babies. CONCLUSIONS--Babies born in Burnley, an area with high perinatal mortality, are thin. The reason is unknown. Poor maternal nutrition is suspected because Burnley babies have a higher ratio of placental weight to birthweight. The greater thinness at birth of Burnley babies could have long term consequences, including higher rates of cardiovascular disease.

Kangaroo care (KC) is the practice of skin-to-skin contact between infant and parent. In developing countries, KC for low-birthweight infants has been shown to reduce mortality, severe illness, infection and length of hospital stay. KC is also beneficial for preterm infants in high-income countries. Cardiorespiratory and temperature stability, sleep organization and duration of quiet sleep, neurodevelopmental outcomes, breastfeeding and modulation of pain responses appear to be improved for preterm infants who have received KC during their hospital stay. No detrimental effects on physiological stability have been demonstrated for infants as young as 26 weeks’ gestational age, including those on assisted ventilation. Mothers show enhanced attachment behaviours and describe an increased sense of their role as a mother. The practice of KC should be encouraged in nurseries that care for preterm infants. Information is available to assist in developing guidelines and protocols.

SYNOPSIS

Objective

We assessed excess fetal-infant mortality for Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic black populations in five contiguous counties of Missouri and Kansas.

Methods

We conducted a perinatal periods of risk (PPOR) assessment of fetal-infant mortality using electronic linked birth-death record files from 2001 through 2005. We generated an internal reference group in accordance with established PPOR protocol. We used Kitagawa analysis to determine whether excess deaths were due to birthweight distribution (a higher frequency of prematurity or growth retardation) or to higher mortality rates once born at that birthweight (birthweight-specific mortality).

Results

We found the excess fetal-infant death rates for Hispanic and non-Hispanic white populations to be similar and considerably lower than that for non-Hispanic black populations. Among Hispanic children, we judged 21.6% of fetal-infant mortality to be excess in relation to the reference population. Within the PPOR matrix, Hispanic excess mortality rates were distributed differently from those of non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black populations. Among Hispanic children, 93.6% of the excess mortality could be explained by low birthweight and birthweight-specific mortality, with the greatest contribution attributable to low birthweight.

Conclusion

The excess fetal-infant mortality experience of Hispanic people in the five-county region was similar to that of the non-Hispanic white population, but was distributed differently in the PPOR model, which has significance regarding interventions targeting reductions in fetal-infant mortality.

Objective

Customisation of birthweight-for-gestational-age standards for maternal characteristics assumes that variation in birth weight as a result of those characteristics is physiological, rather than pathological. Maternal height and parity are among the characteristics widely assumed to be physiological. Our objective was to test that assumption by using an association with perinatal mortality as evidence of a pathological effect.

Design

Population-based cohort study.

Setting

Sweden.

Population

A total of 952 630 singletons born at ≥28 weeks of gestation in the period 1992–2001.

Methods

We compared perinatal mortality among mothers of short stature (<160 cm) versus those of normal height (≥160 cm), and primiparous versus multiparous mothers, using an internal reference of estimated fetal weight for gestational age. The total effects of maternal height and parity were estimated, as well as the effects of height and parity independent of birthweight (controlled direct effects). All analyses were based on fetuses at risk, using marginal structural Cox models for the estimation of total and controlled direct effects.

Main outcome measures

Perinatal mortality, stillbirth, and early neonatal mortality.

Results

The estimated total effect (HR; 95% CI) of short stature on perinatal death among short mothers was 1.2 (95% CI 1.1–1.3) compared with women of normal height; the effect of short stature independent of birthweight (controlled direct effect) was 0.8 (95% CI 0.6–1.0) among small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births, but 1.1 (95% CI 1.0–1.3) among non-SGA births. Similar results were observed for primiparous mothers.

Conclusions

The effect of maternal short stature or primiparity on perinatal mortality is partly mediated through SGA birth. Thus, birthweight differences resulting from these maternal characteristics appear not only to be physiological, but also to have an important pathological component.

Introduction

Indigenous Australians experience more aggressive cancers and higher cancer mortality rates than other Australians. Cancer patients undergoing treatment are likely to access health services (e.g. social worker, cancer helpline, pain management services). To date Indigenous cancer patients’ use of these services is limited. This paper describes the use of health services by Indigenous cancer patients.

Methods

Indigenous cancer patients receiving treatment were recruited at four major Queensland public hospitals (Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital, Princess Alexandra, Cairns Base Hospital and Townsville Hospital). Participants were invited to complete a structured questionnaire during a face-to-face interview which sought information about their use of community and allied health services.

Results

Of the 157 patients interviewed most were women (54.1%), of Aboriginal descent (73.9%), lived outer regional areas (40.1%) and had a mean age of 52.2 years. The most frequent cancer types were breast cancer (22.3%), blood related (14.0%), lung (12.1%) and gastroenterological (10.8%). More than half of the participants reported using at least one of the ‘Indigenous Health Worker/Services’ (76.4%), ‘Allied Health Workers/Services’ (72.6%) and ‘Information Sources’ (70.7%). Younger participants 19–39 years were more likely to use information sources (81.0%) than older participants who more commonly used community services (48.8%). The cancer patients used a median of three health services groups while receiving cancer treatment.

Conclusions

Indigenous cancer patients used a range of health services whilst receiving treatment. Indigenous Health Workers/Services and Allied Health Workers/Services were the most commonly used services. However, there is a need for further systematic investigation into the health service utilization by Indigenous cancer patients.

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of singleton preterm breech babies born in a teaching hospital, and to study the influence of the mode of delivery on perinatal outcome in preterm births with breech presentation.

Methods:

A retrospective analysis from the medical records of patients who had preterm singleton breech delivery (24 – 36 weeks gestation) was undertaken in a tertiary care hospital in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia between January 1992 and December 2001. All the patients with intrauterine fetal death, multiple pregnancies and lethal congenital fetal malformations were excluded from the study. Intrapartum and neonatal morbidity and mortality in vaginal versus cesarean delivery groups were the main outcomes measured.

Results:

Of 24,708 deliveries that occurred in the hospital during the period of study, there were 195 preterm singleton breech deliveries, giving an incidence of 0.08%. One hundred and forty-eight (75.9%) patients delivered vaginally and did not have any medical or obstetric complications. Forty-seven (24.1%) patients underwent caesarean section. While the neonatal morbidity was similar in the two groups, the neonatal mortality was significantly higher for vaginal delivery than cesarean section (p<0.00069).

Conclusion:

In view of the significantly higher neonatal mortality found in vaginal delivery, the present study favors abdominal delivery for a singleton preterm breech fetus.

Early administration of surfactant to preterm babies with respiratory distress syndrome saves lives and decreases morbidity such as pneumothorax. Surfactant administration shortly after birth to intubated babies less than 30 weeks gestation decreases pulmonary air leak, chronic lung disease and mortality. Some preterm babies may be born in hospitals with a transport team hours away. Surfactant administration may cause transient bradycardia or hypoxemia and may rapidly improve lung function. As preterm babies born outside of tertiary care centres will benefit from early administration of surfactant, every peripheral hospital performing deliveries should develop a plan in association with physicians in referral hospitals to provide this potentially life saving therapy.