Resumen

SUAREZ GONZALEZ, Juan; GUTIERREZ MACHADO, Mario  y  CORRALES GUTIERREZ, Alexis. Characterization of Late Fetal Mortality in Villa Clara. Medisur [online]. 2011, vol.9, n.5, pp.452-456. ISSN 1727-897X.

Background: Events like late fetal mortality alter the regular, expected course of pregnancy. This carries a negative connotation for the woman, the couple and the community. Objective: To characterize late fetal mortality according to associated factors. Methods: A descriptive study of the 74 fetal deaths registered in the ’Mariana Grajales’ Gynecological and Obstetric University Hospital of Santa Clara during 2009 and 2010 was conducted. The following variables were analyzed: maternal age, maternal personal medical history, gestational age at the time of fetal death, place and time of occurrence and death causes. Results: 67.6% of pregnant women had from 20 to 35 years old. Chronic hypertension and bronchial asthma were the most prevalent antecedents among pregnant women. Stillbirths occurred mostly at a gestational age between 28 and 36.6 weeks. 52.7% of deaths occurred outside the hospital and prior to delivery in 55 cases (74.3%). Idiopathic causes and hypertensive disorders were the most frequent causes. Conclusions: It is necessary to intensify reproductive preconception risk control and prenatal care. Even when certainly much has been achieved in this area, the results of this study show that, to some extent, the causes of fetal deaths were preventable.

Palabras clave : fetal death/etiology; stillbirth; hypertension, pregnancy-induced.