Perinatal mortality in Vellore Part I: A study of 21,585 infants

Abstract

At Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, there were 21,585 consecutive births during a five year period of 1979–1983. The overall perinatal mortality rate was 40·7, stillbirth rate was 23·6 and early neonatal mortality rate was 17·5. Although the perinatal mortality rate was only half that reported from other teaching hospitals in India, it is three times the rate reported for Avon area hospitals providing special and intensive care. The highest perinatal mortality rate 45·5 was noted in 1979; the lowest 38·6 in 1982. The highest stillbirth rate 26·6 was noted in 1980, the lowest 19·3 in 1981 (p<·05). Throughout it was consistently higher than early neonatal mortality rate. The highest early neonatal mortality rate 20·8 was noted in 1979 the lowest 13·9 in 1980 with 33 per cent reduction; (p<·05) however in 1983 it was 17·1. At the end of five years perinatal mortality rate, stillbirth and early neonatal mortality rates were not reduced significantly. If 223 unsalvagable infants, 131 with congenital lethal malformation and 92 others with birth weight below 1000 gm were excluded, then all the three rates for 21,360 normally formed infants weighing above 1000 gm would be statistically significantly lower (perinatal mortality rate 30·7, stillbirth rate 18·4 and early neonatal rate 12·5 (p<·01).