Factors affecting perinatal mortality in an urban center

In the Division of Obstetrics of the Statewide Perinatal Center, Newark, NJ, the rate of perinatal mortality fell from 51 in 1000, to 15 in 1000, between 1971 and 1986, and increased thereafter to 28 in 1000 by 1988. This development is analyzed against the background of changes in the environment and inside the Center. It is noted that during 2 study years (1983 and 1986) in our extremely high-risk patient population, the perinatal mortality rate was kept at, or under, the national average. It appears, therefore, that with well-coordinated management and optimum use of resources, marked nationwide differences in mortality rates between white and non-white populations can be greatly reduced or eliminated. An inverse relationship between the rates of caesarean section and perinatal mortality was documented, as the former increased from 4.5% to 17%. Paradoxically, a further increase of caesarean section rates was accompanied by a parallel increase of intrauterine fetal and neonatal losses.