If your office does not create an obstetric problem list, then you should consider creating one following the first obstetric visit. However, since perinatal mortality is a risk management issue, often resulting in litigation, your office should keep statistics regarding perinatal losses. The sum of these three categories is the perinatal mortality. Approximately half of the perinatal losses in most large studies are due to antepartum stillbirth. The intrapartum death rate in most studies averages 0.2-0.5 per thousand.
Neonatal mortality is highly dependent upon gestational age and birth weight.
In the United States, this figure ranges from 0.3-1.1 percent based on geographic location and race. Since neonatal mortality is an uncommon event, your office should report unexpected perinatal deaths to the risk management director of your malpractice company. The most common causes for maternal mortality are hemorrhage from ectopic pregnancy, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, cerebellar vascular accidents and trauma. The most recent statistics in the United States suggests a maternal mortality of 7-11 per 10,000. Since maternal mortality is such a rare event, your office should report any maternal mortalities to the risk management director of your malpractice company.