[Delivery at an alternative clinic or a special department]

With the object of assessing the safety of deliveries in the Maternity Clinic in Glostrup Hospital, consecutive registration of all 196 deliveries which commenced in the clinic during a period of seven months was undertaken. On account of various complications, 36.2% of these were transferred to the Special Department during delivery. As a control material, 313 so-called "no risk" deliveries which occurred in the Maternity Department of the Special Department during the same period were employed. The corresponding number of "complicated" deliveries in this material was 45.7%. Interventions such as early rupture of the membranes and stimulation of contractions with intravenous oxytocin were employed significantly more frequently in the Special Department. Delivery with vacuum-extractor or caesarean section was employed in 12.3% of the deliveries which commenced in the Clinic as compared with 16.6% in the Special Department. This difference was not significant. No differences could be demonstrated in the conditions of the infants on delivery and in the neonatal period which could be attributed to the choice of place of delivery. It is concluded that, with the rules for referral, monitoring during delivery and transfer to the Special Department which hold for the Maternity Clinic, the safety for deliveries corresponds to that which the Maternity Unit of the Special Department can offer.