Substandard care in delivery-related asphyxia among term infants: prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess substandard care factors in the case of delivery-related asphyxia. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Catchment area of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the University Medical Center Utrecht; a region in the middle of the Netherlands covering 13% of the Dutch population. POPULATION: Term infants, without congenital malformations, who died intrapartum or were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit due to asphyxia. METHODS: During a two-year period, cases were prospectively collected and audited by an expert panel. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Substandard care factors. RESULTS: 37 735 term infants without congenital malformations were born. There were 19 intrapartum deaths, and 89 NICU admissions of which 12 neonates died. In 63 (58%) cases a substandard care factor was identified that was possibly (n= 47, 43%) or probably (n= 16, 15%) related to perinatal death or NICU admission. In primary care, substandard care factors were mainly the low frequency of examination during labor and delay in referral to secondary care. In secondary care, misinterpretation of cardiotocography and failure to respond adequately to clinical signs of fetal distress were the most common substandard care factors. CONCLUSIONS: Substandard care is present in a substantial number of cases with delivery-related asphyxia resulting in perinatal death or NICU admission. Improving the organization of obstetric care in the Netherlands as well as training of obstetric caregivers might reduce adverse outcomes.

Substandard care in antepartum term stillbirths: prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess substandard care factors in antepartum stillbirths at term. Design. Prospective cohort study. SETTING: A region in the middle of the Netherlands covering 13% of the Dutch population. POPULATION: Antepartum stillbirths (≥ 37 weeks) without congenital malformations. METHODS: During a two-year period, all antepartum term stillbirths were prospectively collected and audited by an expert panel. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Substandard care factors. RESULTS: During the study period, 37 735 normally formed infants were delivered ≥ 37 weeks of gestation. There were 60 antepartum stillbirths (1.59 per 1,000, 95%CI 1.19-1.99). Most stillbirths occurred during apparently uncomplicated pregnancies. Twenty-one infants (35%) were small-for-gestational age but growth restriction was only suspected in 10 (47.6%) of these cases. Substandard care factors were identified in 21 (35%) cases. A relation between these factors and fetal demise was possible in nine (15%) and probable in seven (12%) of these cases. Inadequate management and recognition of suspected growth restriction (n=9) or hypertension (n=6) were the most common substandard care factors. Ten (16.7%) women felt none or decreased fetal movements for 24 hours or more before they consulted a doctor or midwife. CONCLUSION: Twenty-seven percent of all stillbirths were possibly or probably avoidable. Special attention to the recognition and adequate management of suspected growth restriction and hypertension as well as guidelines about patient information and management of decreased fetal movements might result in a reduction of stillbirths in the Netherlands.

Perinatal mortality and severe morbidity in low and high risk term pregnancies in the Netherlands: prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare incidences of perinatal mortality and severe perinatal morbidity between low risk term pregnancies supervised in primary care by a midwife and high risk pregnancies supervised in secondary care by an obstetrician. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study using aggregated data from a national perinatal register. SETTING: Catchment area of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the University Medical Center in Utrecht, a region in the centre of the Netherlands covering 13% of the Dutch population. PARTICIPANTS: Pregnant women at 37 weeks' gestation or later with a singleton or twin pregnancy without congenital malformations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perinatal death (antepartum, intrapartum, and neonatal) or admission to a level 3 NICU. RESULTS: During the study period 37 735 normally formed infants were delivered at 37 weeks' gestation or later. Sixty antepartum stillbirths (1.59 (95% confidence interval 1.19 to 1.99) per 1000 babies delivered), 22 intrapartum stillbirths (0.58 (0.34 to 0.83) per 1000 babies delivered), and 210 NICU admissions (5.58 (4.83 to 6.33) per 1000 live births) occurred, of which 17 neonates died (0.45 (0.24 to 0.67) per 1000 live births). The overall perinatal death rate was 2.62 (2.11 to 3.14) per 1000 babies delivered and was significantly higher for nulliparous women compared with multiparous women (relative risk 1.65, 95% confidence interval 1.11 to 2.45). Infants of pregnant women at low risk whose labour started in primary care under the supervision of a midwife had a significant higher risk of delivery related perinatal death than did infants of pregnant women at high risk whose labour started in secondary care under the supervision of an obstetrician (relative risk 2.33, 1.12 to 4.83). NICU admission rates did not differ between pregnancies supervised by a midwife and those supervised by an obstetrician. Infants of women who were referred by a midwife to an obstetrician during labour had a 3.66 times higher risk of delivery related perinatal death than did infants of women who started labour supervised by an obstetrician (relative risk 3.66, 1.58 to 8.46) and a 2.5-fold higher risk of NICU admission (2.51, 1.87 to 3.37). CONCLUSIONS: Infants of pregnant women at low risk whose labour started in primary care under the supervision of a midwife in the Netherlands had a higher risk of delivery related perinatal death and the same risk of admission to the NICU compared with infants of pregnant women at high risk whose labour started in secondary care under the supervision of an obstetrician. An important limitation of the study is that aggregated data of a large birth registry database were used and adjustment for confounders and clustering was not possible. However, the findings are unexpected and the obstetric care system of the Netherlands needs further evaluation.