Abstract

RIVAS-PERDOMO, Edgar E  and  VASQUEZ-DEULOFEUTT, Doris. Stillbirth: pathologic findings a tertiary care hospital: Cartagena, Colombia, 2010-2011. Rev Colomb Obstet Ginecol [online]. 2012, vol.63, n.4, pp.376-381. ISSN 0034-7434.

Objective: Ascertaining stillbirth's epidemiological characteristics and describing the most frequent findings in studies of stillbirths attended at the San Juan de Dios teaching hospital. Materials and methods: A case series was compiled of all stillbirths attended from June 2010 to May 2011 at a high complexity institution in Cartagena, Colombia. Three groups of gestational age at the moment of fetal death were established: 22 to 29+6, 30 to 36+6 and 37 to 42 weeks’ gestation. Demographic variables, maternal background, the result of pregnancy and findings regarding disease in the fetus, placenta and umbilical cord were all considered. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample. Results: Average age was 29.1 (6.1 SD); 72.2% of the cases occurred in 20- to 34-year-old patients. Placental disease was identified as the primary cause of stillbirth in 25% of the cases; nevertheless, the primary cause of stillbirth could not be demonstrated in 22.22% of them. Conclusions: Studying the disease provided information for defining the cause of death in 77% of the cases. This exam supplied useful information for decision-making at clinical level and in public health.

Keywords : Stillbirth; intrauterine fetal death; disease.

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