NSIDRC Journal Article Alert — May 22, 2009

Prepared by the National Sudden and Unexpected Infant/Child Death and Pregnancy Loss Resource Center at Georgetown University.

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Sudden Infant Death

1. Alastruey J, Sherwin SJ, Parker KH, Rubens DD

Placental transfusion insult in the predisposition for SIDS: A mathematical study

Early Hum Dev. 2009 May 13. [Epub ahead of print]

Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK.

A difference has been observed between the newborn hearing screening tests of thirty-one SIDS cases versus control infants that survived the first year of life [Rubens DD, Vohr BV, Tucker R, O'Neil CA, Chung W. Newborn oto-acoustic emission hearing screening tests. Preliminary evidence for a marker of susceptibility to SIDS. Early Hum Dev 2008;84(4);225-9]. This study is motivated by the hypothesis that the predisposition for SIDS may be caused by inner ear and brainstem damage from a high venous pressure insult at birth that disrupts an infant's ability to detect rising CO(2) levels following the first month of life. The injury is not immediately lethal due to the persistence of fetal physiological responses during the early postnatal period [Guntheroth WG. Crib death, the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Armonk NY: Futura Publishing Co.; 1995. p. 291]. Elastic vessels are assumed in the umbilical vein and newborn venous circulation at the time of a potential high pressure placental transfusion insult and pulse wave propagation is simulated using the nonlinear one-dimensional equations of blood flow in elastic vessels. Peak pressures in the auricular veins increase with the amplitude and length of the umbilical surge, reaching over 60 mm Hg when two consecutive surges separated by 100 ms, of a peak pressure of 100 mm Hg, and a pulse interval of 200 ms are propagated in a network with low peripheral reflections. Our findings support the proposed mechanism for inner ear damage in SIDS and the potential benefit of a newborn hearing screening test in identifying susceptibility and early preventative measures following birth.

2. Overly FL, Sudikoff SN, Duffy S, Anderson A, Kobayashi L

Three Scenarios to Teach Difficult Discussions in Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Sudden Infant Death, Child Abuse With Domestic Violence, and Medication Error

Simul Healthc. 2009 Summer;4(2):114-130

From the Department of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics (F.L.O., S.D., A.A., L.K.), The Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital Medical Simulation Center, Providence, Rhode Island; and Department of Pediatrics (S.N.S.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

Miscarriage/Stillbirth/Prenatal Issues

1. Yarali H, Bozdag G, Polat M, Esinler I, Tiras B

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcome of women over 39: an analysis of 668 cycles

Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2009 May 15. [Epub ahead of print]

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey, hyarali@hacettepe.edu.tr.

PURPOSE: To evaluate intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcome of women over age 39 and to determine when to discourage such couples to undergo IVF using their own oocytes. METHODS: Four hundred ninety-five consecutive women (n = 668 cycles) over age 39 were evaluated by year-by-year age increments to discriminate the independent prognostic factors for the achievement of pregnancy. RESULTS: Although the ovarian hyperstimulation performance (COH) and embryological data were not too diverse, the clinical pregnancy rates per embryo transfer decreased from 26 to 13% from age 40 to 44. According to logistic regression, the female age seems to be the only variable in order to predict an ongoing pregnancy. The miscarriage rate increased with advancing female age. It was 33% at age 40 but increased to 100% by age 45. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of COH and embryological data is not discouraging among women over 39 years in ICSI cycles. However, increased miscarriages as well as decreased implantation rate are mainly responsible for the poor performance of patients with advanced female age. Irrespective of the ovarian reserve testing, ICSI may be refused at age 45 and thereafter.

2. Cox T, van der Steeg JW, Steures P, Hompes PG, van der Veen F, Eijkemans MJ, Schagen van Leeuwen JH, Renckens C, Bossuyt PM, Mol BW

Time to pregnancy after a previous miscarriage in subfertile couples

Fertil Steril. 2009 May 12. [Epub ahead of print]

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the time to spontaneous ongoing pregnancy after a previous miscarriage in subfertile couples. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: The study was conducted in 38 fertility centers in the Netherlands. PATIENT(S): Subfertile couples who miscarried after completing their basic fertility work-up. INTERVENTION(S): Expectant management after a miscarriage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Spontaneous ongoing pregnancy. RESULT(S): We included 5,663 subfertile couples, of which 1,098 (19%) conceived spontaneously. Among these 1,098 couples, 199 (18%) miscarried and these couples were included in the present study. Follow-up was completed for 171 couples, of which 95 conceived again within 24 months of follow-up. Of these 95 pregnancies, 86 (91%) were ongoing. The cumulative spontaneous ongoing pregnancy rate (PR) after 24 months was 70% (95% confidence interval [CI] 59%-81%). CONCLUSION(S): Subfertile couples, who experience a treatment-independent pregnancy resulting in a miscarriage, have very good prospects of a spontaneous ongoing pregnancy in the near future. This information is useful in counseling couples who had a miscarriage after a previous period of subfertility.

3. Metwally M, Saravelos SH, Ledger WL, Li TC

Body mass index and risk of miscarriage in women with recurrent miscarriage

Fertil Steril. 2009 May 11. [Epub ahead of print]

The Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, The Jessop Wing, Sheffield, United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of underweight, overweight, and obesity on the risk of miscarriage in the subsequent pregnancy in women with recurrent miscarriage. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the database of a tertiary recurrent miscarriage center. SETTING: The recurrent miscarriage clinic at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. PATIENT(S): A total of 844 pregnancies from 491 patients with recurrent miscarriage were included in the analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The odds of miscarriage in the subsequent pregnancy for all pregnancies after referral to the recurrent miscarriage clinic as well as the first pregnancy post referral. RESULT(S): When analyzing all pregnancies, and compared to women with a normal body mass index, obese and underweight patients had a significantly higher odds of miscarriage in the subsequent pregnancy (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.05-2.8; and OR, 3.98; 95% CI, 1.06-14.92; respectively), whereas there was no significantly increased odds of miscarriage in overweight women (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.72-1.45). Logistic regression analysis showed that the most important factor predicting the occurrence of miscarriage was advanced maternal age (P=0.01) followed by an increased body mass index (P=0.04). CONCLUSION(S): In women with recurrent miscarriage, a mild increase in the body mass index does not increase the risk of miscarriage, whereas obese and underweight patients have a small but significant increased risk of miscarriage in the subsequent pregnancy.

4. Bhutta ZA, Darmstadt GL, Haws RA, Yakoob MY, Lawn JE

Delivering interventions to reduce the global burden of stillbirths: improving service supply and community demand

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2009 May 7;9 Suppl 1:S7

Division of Maternal and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. zulfiqar.bhutta@aku.edu

BACKGROUND: Although a number of antenatal and intrapartum interventions have shown some evidence of impact on stillbirth incidence, much confusion surrounds ideal strategies for delivering these interventions within health systems, particularly in low-/middle-income countries where 98% of the world's stillbirths occur. Improving the uptake of quality antenatal and intrapartum care is critical for evidence-based interventions to generate an impact at the population level. This concluding paper of a series of papers reviewing the evidence for stillbirth interventions examines the evidence for community and health systems approaches to improve uptake and quality of antenatal and intrapartum care, and synthesises programme and policy recommendations for how best to deliver evidence-based interventions at community and facility levels, across the continuum of care, to reduce stillbirths. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed and the Cochrane Library for abstracts pertaining to community-based and health-systems strategies to increase uptake and quality of antenatal and intrapartum care services. We also sought abstracts which reported impact on stillbirths or perinatal mortality. Searches used multiple combinations of broad and specific search terms and prioritised rigorous randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses where available. Wherever eligible randomised controlled trials were identified after a Cochrane review had been published, we conducted new meta-analyses based on the original Cochrane criteria. RESULTS: In low-resource settings, cost, distance and the time needed to access care are major barriers for effective uptake of antenatal and particularly intrapartum services. A number of innovative strategies to surmount cost, distance, and time barriers to accessing care were identified and evaluated; of these, community financial incentives, loan/insurance schemes, and maternity waiting homes seem promising, but few studies have reported or evaluated the impact of the wide-scale implementation of these strategies on stillbirth rates. Strategies to improve quality of care by upgrading the skills of community cadres have shown demonstrable impact on perinatal mortality, particularly in conjunction with health systems strengthening and facilitation of referrals. Neonatal resuscitation training for physicians and other health workers shows potential to prevent many neonatal deaths currently misclassified as stillbirths. Perinatal audit systems, which aim to improve quality of care by identifying deficiencies in care, are a quality improvement measure that shows some evidence of benefit for changes in clinical practice that prevent stillbirths, and are strongly recommended wherever practical, whether as hospital case review or as confidential enquiry at district or national level. CONCLUSION: Delivering interventions to reduce the global burden of stillbirths requires action at all levels of the health system. Packages of interventions should be tailored to local conditions, including local levels and causes of stillbirth, accessibility of care and health system resources and provider skill. Antenatal care can potentially serve as a platform to deliver interventions to improve maternal nutrition, promote behaviour change to reduce harmful exposures and risk of infections, screen for and treat risk factors, and encourage skilled attendance at birth. Following the example of high-income countries, improving intrapartum monitoring for fetal distress and access to Caesarean section in low-/middle-income countries appears to be key to reducing intrapartum stillbirth. In remote or low-resource settings, families and communities can be galvanised to demand and seek quality care through financial incentives and health promotion efforts of local cadres of health workers, though these interventions often require simultaneous health systems strengthening. Perinatal audit can aid in the development of better standards of care, improving quality in health systems. Effective strategies to prevent stillbirth are known; gaps remain in the data, the evidence and perhaps most significantly, the political will to implement these strategies at scale.

5. Darmstadt GL, Yakoob MY, Haws RA, Menezes EV, Soomro T, Bhutta ZA

Reducing stillbirths: interventions during labour

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2009 May 7;9 Suppl 1:S6

Department of International Health, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. gdarmsta@jhsph.edu

BACKGROUND: Approximately one million stillbirths occur annually during labour; most of these stillbirths occur in low and middle-income countries and are associated with absent, inadequate, or delayed obstetric care. The low proportion of intrapartum stillbirths in high-income countries suggests that intrapartum stillbirths are largely preventable with quality intrapartum care, including prompt recognition and management of intrapartum complications. The evidence for impact of intrapartum interventions on stillbirth and perinatal mortality outcomes has not yet been systematically examined. METHODS: We undertook a systematic review of the published literature, searching PubMed and the Cochrane Library, of trials and reviews (N = 230) that reported stillbirth or perinatal mortality outcomes for eight interventions delivered during labour. Where eligible randomised controlled trials had been published after the most recent Cochrane review on any given intervention, we incorporated these new trial findings into a new meta-analysis with the Cochrane included studies. RESULTS: We found a paucity of studies reporting statistically significant evidence of impact on perinatal mortality, especially on stillbirths. Available evidence suggests that operative delivery, especially Caesarean section, contributes to decreased stillbirth rates. Induction of labour rather than expectant management in post-term pregnancies showed strong evidence of impact, though there was not enough evidence to suggest superior safety for the fetus of any given drug or drugs for induction of labour. Planned Caesarean section for term breech presentation has been shown in a large randomised trial to reduce stillbirths, but the feasibility and consequences of implementing this intervention routinely in low-/middle-income countries add caveats to recommending its use. Magnesium sulphate for pre-eclampsia and eclampsia is effective in preventing eclamptic seizures, but studies have not demonstrated impact on perinatal mortality. There was limited evidence of impact for maternal hyperoxygenation, and concerns remain about maternal safety. Transcervical amnioinfusion for meconium staining appears promising for low/middle income-country application according to the findings of many small studies, but a large randomised trial of the intervention had no significant impact on perinatal mortality, suggesting that further studies are needed. CONCLUSION: Although the global appeal to prioritise access to emergency obstetric care, especially vacuum extraction and Caesarean section, rests largely on observational and population-based data, these interventions are clearly life-saving in many cases of fetal compromise. Safe, comprehensive essential and emergency obstetric care is particularly needed, and can make the greatest impact on stillbirth rates, in low-resource settings. Other advanced interventions such as amnioinfusion and hyperoxygenation may reduce perinatal mortality, but concerns about safety and effectiveness require further study before they can be routinely included in programs.

6. Haws RA, Yakoob MY, Soomro T, Menezes EV, Darmstadt GL, Bhutta ZA BMC

Reducing stillbirths: screening and monitoring during pregnancy and labour

Pregnancy Childbirth. 2009 May 7;9 Suppl 1:S5

Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. rhaws@jhsph.edu

BACKGROUND: Screening and monitoring in pregnancy are strategies used by healthcare providers to identify high-risk pregnancies so that they can provide more targeted and appropriate treatment and follow-up care, and to monitor fetal well-being in both low- and high-risk pregnancies. The use of many of these techniques is controversial and their ability to detect fetal compromise often unknown. Theoretically, appropriate management of maternal and fetal risk factors and complications that are detected in pregnancy and labour could prevent a large proportion of the world's 3.2 million estimated annual stillbirths, as well as minimise maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. METHODS: The fourth in a series of papers assessing the evidence base for prevention of stillbirths, this paper reviews available published evidence for the impact of 14 screening and monitoring interventions in pregnancy on stillbirth, including identification and management of high-risk pregnancies, advanced monitoring techniques, and monitoring of labour. Using broad and specific strategies to search PubMed and the Cochrane Library, we identified 221 relevant reviews and studies testing screening and monitoring interventions during the antenatal and intrapartum periods and reporting stillbirth or perinatal mortality as an outcome. RESULTS: We found a dearth of rigorous evidence of direct impact of any of these screening procedures and interventions on stillbirth incidence. Observational studies testing some interventions, including fetal movement monitoring and Doppler monitoring, showed some evidence of impact on stillbirths in selected high-risk populations, but require larger rigourous trials to confirm impact. Other interventions, such as amniotic fluid assessment for oligohydramnios, appear predictive of stillbirth risk, but studies are lacking which assess the impact on perinatal mortality of subsequent intervention based on test findings. Few rigorous studies of cardiotocography have reported stillbirth outcomes, but steep declines in stillbirth rates have been observed in high-income settings such as the U.S., where cardiotocography is used in conjunction with Caesarean section for fetal distress. CONCLUSION: There are numerous research gaps and large, adequately controlled trials are still needed for most of the interventions we considered. The impact of monitoring interventions on stillbirth relies on use of effective and timely intervention should problems be detected. Numerous studies indicated that positive tests were associated with increased perinatal mortality, but while some tests had good sensitivity in detecting distress, false-positive rates were high for most tests, and questions remain about optimal timing, frequency, and implications of testing. Few studies included assessments of impact of subsequent intervention needed before recommending particular monitoring strategies as a means to decrease stillbirth incidence. In high-income countries such as the US, observational evidence suggests that widespread use of cardiotocography with Caesarean section for fetal distress has led to significant declines in stillbirth rates. Efforts to increase availability of Caesarean section in low-/middle-income countries should be coupled with intrapartum monitoring technologies where resources and provider skills permit.

7. Menezes EV, Yakoob MY, Soomro T, Haws RA, Darmstadt GL, Bhutta ZA BMC

Reducing stillbirths: prevention and management of medical disorders and infections during pregnancy

Pregnancy Childbirth. 2009 May 7;9 Suppl 1:S4

Division of Maternal and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi-74800, Pakistan. doc_menezes@yahoo.com

BACKGROUND: An estimated two-thirds of the world's 3.2 million stillbirths occur antenatally, prior to labour, and are often overlooked in policy and programs. Poorly recognised, untreated or inadequately treated maternal infections such as syphilis and malaria, and maternal conditions including hypertensive disorders, are known risk factors for stillbirth. METHODS: We undertook a systematic review of the evidence for 16 antenatal interventions with the potential to prevent stillbirths. We searched a range of sources including PubMed and the Cochrane Library. For interventions with prior Cochrane reviews, we conducted additional meta-analyses including eligible newer randomised controlled trials following the Cochrane protocol. We focused on interventions deliverable at the community level in low-/middle-income countries, where the burden of stillbirths is greatest. RESULTS: Few of the studies we included reported stillbirth as an outcome; most that did were underpowered to assess this outcome. While Cochrane reviews or meta-analyses were available for many interventions, few focused on stillbirth or perinatal mortality as outcomes, and evidence was frequently conflicting. Several interventions showed clear evidence of impact on stillbirths, including heparin therapy for certain maternal indications; syphilis screening and treatment; and insecticide-treated bed nets for prevention of malaria. Other interventions, such as management of obstetric intrahepatic cholestasis, maternal anti-helminthic treatment, and intermittent preventive treatment of malaria, showed promising impact on stillbirth rates but require confirmatory studies. Several interventions reduced known risk factors for stillbirth (e.g., anti-hypertensive drugs for chronic hypertension), yet failed to show statistically significant impact on stillbirth or perinatal mortality rates. Periodontal disease emerged as a clear risk factor for stillbirth but no interventions have reduced stillbirth rates. CONCLUSION: Evidence for some newly recognised risk factors for stillbirth, including periodontal disease, suggests the need for large, appropriately designed randomised trials to test whether intervention can minimise these risks and prevent stillbirths. Existing evidence strongly supports infection control measures, including syphilis screening and treatment and malaria prophylaxis in endemic areas, for preventing antepartum stillbirths. These interventions should be incorporated into antenatal care programs based on attributable risks and burden of disease.

8. Yakoob MY, Menezes EV, Soomro T, Haws RA, Darmstadt GL, Bhutta ZA BMC

Reducing stillbirths: behavioural and nutritional interventions before and during pregnancy

Pregnancy Childbirth. 2009 May 7;9 Suppl 1:S3

Division of Maternal and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan. yawar.yakoob@gmail.com

BACKGROUND: The vast majority of global stillbirths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and in many settings, the majority of stillbirths occur antenatally, prior to the onset of labour. Poor nutritional status, lack of antenatal care and a number of behaviours increase women's risk of stillbirth in many resource-poor settings. Interventions to reduce these risks could reduce the resulting burden of stillbirths, but the evidence for the impact of such interventions has not yet been comprehensively evaluated. METHODS: This second paper of a systematic review of interventions that could plausibly impact stillbirth rates covers 12 different interventions relating to behavioural and socially mediated risk factors, including exposures to harmful practices and substances, antenatal care utilisation and quality, and maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy. The search strategy reviewed indexed medical journals on PubMed and the Cochrane Library. If any eligible randomised controlled trials were identified that were published after the most recent Cochrane review, they were added to generate new meta-analyses. Interventions covered in this paper have a focus on low- and middle-income countries, both because of the large burden of stillbirths and because of the high prevalence of risk factors including maternal malnutrition and harmful environmental exposures. The reviews and studies belonging to these interventions were graded and conclusions derived about the evidence of benefit of these interventions. RESULTS: From a programmatic perspective, none of the interventions achieved clear evidence of benefit. Evidence for some socially mediated risk factors were identified, such as exposure to indoor air pollution and birth spacing, but still require the development of appropriate interventions. There is a need for additional studies on culturally appropriate behavioural interventions and clinical trials to increase smoking cessation and reduce exposure to smokeless tobacco. Balanced protein-energy supplementation was associated with reduced stillbirth rates, but larger well-designed trials are required to confirm findings. Peri-conceptional folic acid supplementation significantly reduces neural tube defects, yet no significant associated reductions in stillbirth rates have been documented. Evidence for other nutritional interventions including multiple micronutrient and Vitamin A supplementation is weak, suggesting the need for further research to assess potential of nutritional interventions to reduce stillbirths. CONCLUSION: Antenatal care is widely used in low- and middle-income countries, and provides a natural facility-based contact through which to provide or educate about many of the interventions we reviewed. The impact of broader socially mediated behaviors, such as fertility decision-making, access to antenatal care, and maternal diet and exposures like tobacco and indoor air pollution during pregnancy, are poorly understood, and further research and appropriate interventions are needed to test the association of these behaviours with stillbirth outcomes. For most nutritional interventions, larger randomised controlled trials are needed which report stillbirths disaggregated from composite perinatal mortality. Many antepartum stillbirths are potentially preventable in low- and middle-income countries, particularly through dietary and environmental improvement, and through improving the quality of antenatal care - particularly including diagnosis and management of high-risk pregnancies - that pregnant women receive.

9. Lawn JE, Yakoob MY, Haws RA, Soomro T, Darmstadt GL, Bhutta ZA

3.2 million stillbirths: epidemiology and overview of the evidence review

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2009 May 7;9 Suppl 1:S2

Saving Newborn Lives/Save the Children-US, Cape Town, South Africa. joylawn@yahoo.co.uk

More than 3.2 million stillbirths occur globally each year, yet stillbirths are largely invisible in global data tracking, policy dialogue and programme implementation. This mismatch of burden to action is due to a number of factors that keep stillbirths hidden, notably a lack of data and a lack of consensus on priority interventions, but also to social taboos that reduce the visibility of stillbirths and the associated family mourning. Whilst there are estimates of the numbers of stillbirths, to date there has been no systematic global analysis of the causes of stillbirths. The multiple classifications systems in use are often complex and are primarily focused on high-income countries. We review available data and propose a programmatic classification that is feasible and comparable across settings. We undertook a comprehensive global review of available information on stillbirths in order to 1) identify studies that evaluated risk factors and interventions to reduce stillbirths, 2) evaluate the level of evidence for interventions, 3) place the available evidence for interventions in a health systems context to guide programme implementation, and 4) elucidate key implementation, monitoring, and research gaps. This first paper in the series outlines issues in stillbirth data availability and quality, the global epidemiology of stillbirths, and describes the methodology and framework used for the review of interventions and strategies.

10. Goldenberg RL, McClure EM, Belizán JM

Commentary: reducing the world's stillbirths

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2009 May 7;9 Suppl 1:S1

One of the major success stories of modern obstetrics in high-income countries in the last 5 decades is the reduction of stillbirths from rates as high as 50 per 1000 births to about 5 per 1000 births today. Fetal mortality associated with obstructed labour, asphyxia, hypertension, diabetes, Rh disease, placental abruption, post-term pregnancies and infections such as syphilis all have declined. Much of this success has occurred in term births in the intrapartum period so that most stillbirths in high-income countries now occur in the antepartum period and are pre-term. Current stillbirth rates in many low- and middle-income countries, and especially in those areas within the countries with poorly functioning health systems, approximate those seen in high-income countries 50 years ago. A major difference between the stillbirths occurring in high-income countries and those occurring elsewhere is the preponderance of late pre-term, term and intrapartum stillbirths in low-resource countries. Those stillbirths should be relatively easy to prevent by known risk assessment methods and prompt delivery, often by Cesarean section. This commentary addresses an extensive six-paper review of stillbirths with an emphasis on low- and middle-income countries. Among the conclusions are that while a number of interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing stillbirths, unless there is a functioning health system in which these interventions can be implemented, the potential for a sustainable and substantial reduction in stillbirth rates will not be reached.

11. Measey MA, Tursan d'Espaignet E, Charles A, Douglass C

Unexplained fetal death: are women with a history of fetal loss at higher risk?

Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2009 Apr;49(2):151-7

Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. maryannem@ichr.uwa.edu.au

AIMS: To identify factors, including the loss of a previous pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation, which are associated with increased risk of singleton antepartum unexplained fetal death (UFD) in Western Australia (WA) using information recorded in routine data collections. METHODS: All fetal deaths in WA from 1990 to 1999 that underwent thorough post-mortem investigations were classified using the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand Perinatal Death Classification System. All UFDs were selected as cases and unmatched controls were randomly drawn from all live births in WA occurring during the study period. Demographic and clinical information on cases and controls was obtained from the WA Midwives' Notification System. Multivariable logistic regression was carried out to determine the independent effect of risk factors and calculate odds ratios. RESULTS: Almost one quarter (22%) of stillbirths were unexplained. Primigravid and primiparous women with a history of pregnancy loss before 20 weeks were at higher risk of UFD than multiparous women who had not experienced any loss. Women with a history of fetal death (after 20 weeks) had the highest risk of UFD. CONCLUSION: The current practice of closely monitoring pregnant women with a history of fetal loss or death should continue as this study suggests they may have a higher risk of poor obstetric outcome. Larger studies are needed to confirm the association between previous pregnancy loss and UFD.

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