TRENDS IN PERINATAL MORTALITY AT KING FAHD HOSPITAL OF THE UNIVERSITY, AL-KHOBAR, SAUDI ARABIA: A TEN YEARS STUDY

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to identify the major causes of perinatal mortality and to determine the main maternal factors which affect perinatal mortality at the King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU), Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted covering a period of ten years from January 1987 to December 1996. All 548 perinatal deaths, which occurred during that period, were analyzed according to Wigglesworth classification. RESULTS: The study revealed a perinatal mortality rate of 19.2:1,000 births. Lethal malformations accounted for 116 (21.1%) of fetal deaths. Of the remaining 432 deaths, 214 (49.5%) occurred antenatally, 71 (16.5%) in labour and 147 (34%) within the first week of delivery. Amongst the normally formed babies, low birth weight was the commonest cause of death (29%) followed by the consequences of maternal diseases (14.8%). The cause of death was unknown in 17.3% of mature babies who died. Unbooked patients were responsible for 72% of the total perinatal deaths. CONCLUSION: Reduction of the perinatal mortality rate is possible when all women begin to value preconception counselling and attendance at antenatal clinics.