Intrapartum Fetal Death in the Maternity of N’Djamena Mother and Child University Hospital

Introduction: Intrapartum fetal death, defined as fetal death occurring during labor (term ≥ 22 weeks of pregnancy or fetal weight ≥ 500g). It is a tragedy for families and a major concern in obstetrics.

Objective: Study the factors contributing to the occurrence of intrapartum fetal death.
Patients and Method: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study with retrospective data collection, covering a 12-month period from October 1st, 2023 to September 31st, 2024. All parturients admitted to the delivery room during the study period with a live fetus in the maternity of N’Djamena Mother and Child hospital. All parturients with a pregnancy term ≥ 22 gestational weeks and documented fetal death during labor were included. The sampling was exhaustive, with consecutive registration of all parturients meeting the inclusion criteria. Epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic variables were studied. Data were compiled, entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20 software.

Results: During the study period, we recorded 43 cases of intrapartum death, giving a frequency of 0.6%. Only 34 cases meeting our selection criteria were retained. The age group of 18-35 years accounted for 64.7%. The mean age was 24.5 ± 2.1 years, with extremes of 14 and 40 years. These patients were unschooled (47%), housewives (67%), married (85.3%), mulitiparous (47.06%), and 50% had undergone less than 4 ante natal cares. Intrapartum fetal death occurred during the active phase in 67.64% of cases. Fetal hypoxia accounted for 44.12% of etiologies. Delivery was vaginal in 82.36% of cases, with meconium-stained amniotic fluid in 55.8%. No maternal deaths were recorded.

Conclusion: The reduction of intrapartum fetal death pass across a sensitization of patients aiming to improve prenatal cares.

Keywords: Intrapartum Fetal Death, Etiologies, Chume, Chad.