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Neonatal autopsies: a 10-year experience
1Department of Pediatrics, Lutheran General Children's Hospital, Park Ridge, Ill 60068, USA.
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|January 13, 2000
Summary
Neonatal autopsy rates declined significantly over a decade, yet autopsies provided new diagnoses in 44% of cases, remaining a valuable tool in perinatal medicine.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal Medicine
- Pediatric Pathology
- Medical Auditing
Background:
- Neonatal autopsies are crucial for understanding causes of death and improving care.
- Trends in autopsy rates and diagnostic yield are important for quality assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in neonatal autopsy rates over a decade.
- To assess the concordance between antemortem and post-mortem diagnoses.
- To identify patient characteristics influencing autopsy diagnostic yield.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for all neonatal deaths.
- Analysis of data including length of stay, imaging, antemortem diagnoses, and autopsy findings.
- Comparison of autopsy findings with antemortem diagnoses for concordance.
Main Results:
- Autopsy rate declined from 71.2% to 47.7% over 10 years.
- New diagnoses were made in 44% of autopsies, with major discordances in 12%.
- Autopsies yielded more new diagnoses in preterm infants and those with no prenatal care.
Conclusions:
- A significant decline in neonatal autopsy rates was observed.
- Neonatal autopsy remains a valuable tool, providing clinically significant data in perinatal medicine.