[Clinico-statistical features of perinatal and early neonatal mortality].

Perinatal and neonatal mortality rates are considered to be among the most sensitive measures available for monitoring the health of population and consequently have been assumed, too, to reflect primarily the capacity of the obstetricians and pediatricians. Perinatal mortality is here defined as stillbirths (or late fetal deaths) plus early neonatal deaths, that is, it includes fetuses born dead after 28 completed weeks of pregnancy and liveborn infants who died before the completion of the first week after birth. This report is concerned with the variation in neonatal mortality observed at the Istituto Clinico di Puericultura, Bologna University in a period from 1971 to 1981 and in perinatal mortality from 1976 to 1981 only. In this period reductions in stillbirths (from 12.5% to 7.8%) and early neonatal mortality (from 13.2% to 7.0%) are recorded. The decrease in the perinatal mortality rate, which occurred at the Obstretic-Neonatal Unit of Bologna University (dropping from 25.6% in 1976 to 14.8% in 1981) may be attributed to a comparable reduction in stillbirths and early neonatal mortality due to better health services and a more modern pattern of medical care. More attention must be given to that particular group of newborn babies weighing 1,500 gm or less (VLBW Infants) which accounted for about 40% of all the neonatal deaths.