Stillbirths and very low Apgar scores among vaginal births in a tertiary hospital in Ghana: a retrospective cross-sectional analysis

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Baafuor Kofi Opoku¹  Alexander Tawiah Odoi¹  Edward Tieru Dassah¹ 

[1] School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

关键词: Ghana;    Vaginal delivery;    Apgar score;    Stillbirth;   

Others  :  1125602
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2393-14-289

 received in 2013-12-28, accepted in 2014-08-25,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Data pertaining to risk factors associated with stillbirths and very low Apgar scores is very sparse. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of, and examine the socio-demographic and obstetric factors associated with stillbirths and very low Apgar scores among vaginal births in a tertiary health facility, Ghana.

Methods

A retrospective cross-sectional review of vaginal deliveries conducted at a teaching hospital in Ghana from 1^st January to 31^st December, 2009. Background characteristics and obstetric history of the mother as well as the vital status of the baby at birth were extracted. Risk factors associated with stillbirths and very low Apgar scores were examined using binomial regression with a log-link function, and population attributable fractions calculated for significant risk factors.

Results

Of the 8,758 deliveries which met the inclusion criteria, 5.9% of the babies were stillbirths, and 6.5% and 1.9% of live births had very low Apgar scores in the first and fifth minutes respectively. Preterm delivery, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, breech delivery and vacuum extraction were significant risk factors for stillbirths and very low Apgar scores in the fifth minute of life. Low birth weight was also a significant risk factor for very low Apgar scores.

Conclusion

The prevalence of stillbirths and very low Apgar scores were high. Improving the quality of obstetric care during labour and delivery may help improve these adverse vaginal birth outcomes.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Dassah et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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