Perinatal mortality rate in multiple pregnancies: a 20-year retrospective study from a tertiary obstetric unit in Hong Kong

Introduction: Multiple pregnancies have become more common, but their perinatal mortality rate remains higher than the rate among singleton pregnancies. This retrospective study investigated the prevalence and causes of perinatal mortality among multiple pregnancies in Hong Kong. Methods: All multiple pregnancies in a university tertiary obstetric unit between 2000 and 2019 were reviewed, and the medical records of cases complicated by stillbirth and neonatal death were identified. The causes of perinatal mortality were determined based on clinical assessment and laboratory results, then compared between the first (2000-2009) and second (2010-2019) decades. Results: The prevalence of multiple pregnancies increased from 1.41% in the first decade to 1.91% in the second decade (P<0.001). Compared with the first decade, the second decade had a lower stillbirth rate (14.72 vs 7.68 [both per 1000 births]; P=0.026), late neonatal death rate (4.78 vs 1.16 [both per 1000 livebirths]; P=0.030), and total mortality rate (25.32 vs 13.82 [both per 1000 births]; P=0.006). The decline in stillbirth rate was related to improvements in antenatal care and treatment. The decline in the late neonatal death rate was related to a reduction in preterm birth before 34 weeks (18.5% vs 15.2%; P=0.006), as well as an improvement in the mortality rate in the subgroup of 31-33 weeks (19.23 vs 0 [ both per 1000 livebirths]; P=0.035). Conclusion: Although the prevalence of multiple pregnancies increased during the study period, the corresponding total perinatal mortality rate improved by 45.4%.

Automated summary

This study investigated the perinatal mortality rate and causes of multiple pregnancies in Hong Kong, and found that although the prevalence of multiple pregnancies increased during the study period, the corresponding total perinatal mortality rate improved. This improvement was associated with improvements in antenatal care, treatment, and a decrease in preterm birth rate.