Perinatal mortality audit at Tikure Anbessa Teaching Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: 1995 to 1996

To determine the prevalence and causes of perinatal mortality rates at Tikure Anbessa hospital, Ethiopia, 1995-96.

A cross-sectional review of hospital records of all women who delivered at Tikure Anbessa Hospital. Data were collected prospectively.

Teaching Hospital of Tikure Anbessa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Women and neonates from 8986 deliveries. Deliveries exceeding 28 weeks of gestation or birth weight of 1000 grams were considered.

All deliveries were included for infants whose gestational age exceeded 28 completed weeks. When the gestational age was unknown, the birth weight of 1000 grams or more was considered. All perinatal deaths and obstetric complications were identified. Labour chart, mode of delivery and summary of delivery had been recorded by the responsible resident at a monthly combined obstetric and paediatric perinatal mortality meeting. Age of the mother, parity, booking status for antenatal care, obstetric complications, labour, mode of delivery, birth weight, gestational age, one and five minutes Apgar scores were collected.

A total of 8986 deliveries were conducted during the study period. Of these 6933 (77.2%) were booked for antenatal care while the remaining 2053 (22.8%) were not booked in any health institution. The perinatal mortality rate of the hospital was 71.6 per 1000 live births. The risk of perinatal mortality was more than doubled among mothers who failed to book for antenatal care follow-up and no laboratory investigations was done were birth asphyxia followed by premature birth 15.4% and 12% respectively.

Perinatal mortality rates are high at Tikure Anbessa Hospital, Ethiopia. There is need to ensure that pregnant women are booked for antenatal care so as to provide adequate antenatal and perinatal health care.