SURVEY OF PERINATAL-MORTALITY IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI-ARABIA

This survey of perinatal statistics in Saudi Arabia was undertaken during 1988/1989 with the objective of evaluating national perinatal mortality figures based on uniform and standardized methods. A total of 177 hospitals with perinatal care services in 93 towns and villages in the Kingdom were contacted to see if they could be surveyed. A standardized perinatal record booklet containing the obstetric and neonatal data of births occurring during a period of 4 months (October 1988 to January 1989) was filled prospectively. The final processed data set was from 147 hospitals with completed data representing 83% of the hospitals approached. There were 49 863 births over a period of 82 days. The results covered the following: maternal characteristics, infant characteristics, association between maternal factors and newborn characteristics and perinatal mortality (PNM) including late fetal death rate, early neonatal death rate, perinatal mortality rate, birth weight specific mortality rate and gestational age specific mortality rate as well as regional distribution of PNM. The results were encouraging in particular with regard to the national perinatal mortality figures which was 11.5 per 1000 births and was much below the calculated figures of the PNM rate in 1985. Vaginal breech delivery, immaturity, antepartum stillbirth and intrapartum asphyxia were most commonly associated with perinatal death. The implications of the clinical causes of perinatal death are discussed. Regular evaluation of national perinatal figures to monitor improvement in the perinatal health care is recommended. it is expected that these results will provide better understanding of the needs for perinatal care in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.