Characteristics of babies born through meconium-stained liquor - abstract

ABSTRACT

Antepartum passage of meconium remains a common perinatal problem in the Caribbean, and the purpose of this study was to compare maternal, obstetric and neonatal characteristics of babies born with and without meconium-stained liquor (MSL). The medical records of 4093 of 5397 live births (76 percent) at the Mount Hope Women's Hospital (MHWH) during 1991 were reviewed, and relevant data were collected and analyzed, using an Epi-Info software programme. Meconium staining of the amniotic fluid (MSL) was present in 458 live births, giving a prevalence of 11.2 percent of live births which is comparable to values reported in other studies. MSL was more common in mothers of African than East Indian origin. The mean ages of women with and without MSL were similar (26.3 ñ S.D. 5.90 and 25.53 ñ 5.98 years, respectively). The 3 commonest maternal problems in the 458 women with MSL were foetal distress (20.7 percent), hypertension in pregnancy (14.0 percent) and postdatism (10.9 percent), all of which were significantly more common than in women without MSL. Babies born through MSL were significantly heavier at birth 93263 ñ 514 vs 3008 ñ 625 gm). Preterm was less common (2.2 percent vs 13.6 percent) and post-term more common (10.7 percent vs 3.1 percent) in babies born through MSL. Asphyxia at 1 and 5 minutes was more common in babies born through MSL. Neonatal problems were encountered in about one-third of babies with and without MSL. Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) was diagnosed in 15 babies (3.3 percent) to give an incidence of 3.7/1000 live births. There were 73 deaths among the 4093 live births to give a crude mortality rate of 1.8 percent as compared to a rate of 0.9 percent for babies born through MSL (AU)