Summary of the Fifth Annual PMMRC Report for 2009

Summary of the Fifth Annual PMMRC Report for 2009

July 2011

The Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee (PMMRC) reviews maternal deaths and all deaths of infants from 20 weeks gestation to 28 completed days after birth, or weighing at least 400g if gestation is unknown.

PMMRC advises the Health Quality & Safety Commission on how to reduce the number of deaths of babies and mothers in New Zealand.

Mortality Definitions:

A maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management. It does not include accidental or incidental causes of death of a pregnant woman.

Maternities are all live births and all fetal deaths at 20 weeks or beyond, or weighing at least 400g if gestation was unknown. In 2009 the maternal mortality rate was calculated per 100,000 maternities.

Perinatal mortality is fetal and early neonatal deaths, from 20 weeks gestation until less than seven days of age or weighing at least 400g if gestation was unknown.

The perinatal-related mortality rate is fetal deaths (including terminations of pregnancy and stillbirths) and neonatal deaths (up to 28 days) per 1000 total babies born at 20 weeks or beyond, or weighing at least 400g if gestation is unknown.

Neonatal mortality is all infant deaths from live birth to 27 days of age inclusive.

Key Findings:

In 2009 the perinatal related mortality rate was 11.3 per 1000 births. The small increase in rate across the three years has been noted but is not statistically significant. The rate is comparable to rates in Australia in 2008 and the United Kingdom in 2009.

The stillbirth rate in 2009 was 6.3 per 1000 births. One quarter of stillbirths continue to be unexplained, and half of these occur at term.

Maori and Pacific mothers are more likely to have stillbirths and neonatal deaths compared with New Zealand European and non-Indian Asian mothers.

There is a significantly increased rate of stillbirth and neonatal death among mothers in the most deprived socioeconomic quintile compared with all less deprived quintiles.

There are differences in perinatal-related mortality rates across regions of residence in keeping with differences in the sociodemographic characteristics of the mothers who live there.

Teenage mothers (under 20 years of age) are at higher risk of stillbirth and neonatal death compared with mothers aged 20 to 30 years (14.7 per 1000 compared with 10.3 per 1000). Mothers of 40 years and older are at increased risk of fetal loss.

50 percent of teenage mothers whose babies died from 2007 to 2009 were Maori, 50 percent of teenage mothers were in the highest deprivation quintile, and 45 percent of all teen mothers whose babies died were smokers.

14 percent of all perinatal deaths were thought to be potentially avoidable.


The maternal mortality rate in 2009 was 22 per 100,000 maternities. The higher rate can be partly attributed to four H1N1 pandemic maternal deaths in that year.

The most frequent causes of maternal death in New Zealand in the years 2006 to 2009 were suicide, pre-existing medical conditions, and amniotic fluid embolism.

The full report is available on the Health Quality & Safety Commission’s website, www.hqsc.govt.nz.

ends

© Scoop Media