Perinatal mortality at the Port Moresby General Hospital and St. Therese's Maternity Hospital 1972

A study was made of the 67 still-births and the 58 neonatal deaths that occurred among the 3,516 viable infants (birth weight 1,000 g. or more) that were born to public patients of the obstetric units of Port Moresby General Hospital and St. Therese's Maternity Hospital during the year 1972. The combined stillbirth and neonatal mortality rate was 35.5 per 1,000 births. The adverse effects of lack of antenatal care, delivery outside hospital, high parity, maternal anaemia, mulitple pregnancy, and low birth weight are demonstrated. Low birth weight (1,000 to 2,200 g.) of unknown cause accounted for 24.0 per cent of the deaths. In 16,8 per cent of cases the birth weight was more than 2,200 g. and the cause of death was unknown. Birth trauma accounted for 19.2 per cent of the deaths, congenital malformation for 11.2 per cent, antepartum haemorrhage for 11.2 per cent, toxaemia for 10.4 per cent, and maternal disease for 3.2 per cent. There were miscellaneous causes in 4.0 per cent of cases. Approximately 75 per cent of the deaths were considered to be the result of unfavourable factors in the mother's environment. Approximately 14 per cent were primarily the result of obstetric complications and might have been avoided by a higher standard of obstetric care. Improving the standard of obstetric care that is presently available in Port Moresby would probably reduce the perinatal mortality rate by not more than 5 per 1,000.