REDUCTION OF PREMATURE INFANT MORTALITY THROUGH DETERMINATION OF FETAL SIZE IN UTERO

Abstract

During the past eleven years 30,781 infants weighing more than 5 pounds (2,268 Gm.) at birth have been delivered under the supervision of the Boston Lying-In Hospital with 378 neonatal deaths—a mortality of 1.2 per cent. In this same period there have been 958 infants delivered weighing less than 5 pounds with 364 deaths—a premature infant gross mortality of 38 per cent (chart 1). Thus it is seen that the premature infant group, representing but 3 per cent of the total births, contributes one half of the neonatal deaths. Ordinary pediatrie methods have been unable to improve this situation, since over 80 per cent of the premature infant fatalities occurred within the first forty-eight hours following delivery (chart 2). Our experience during the past year suggests that the premature infant mortality can be reduced further by the simple method of delaying the induction of premature labor, whenever possible, until a