In this study, rates and causes of traumatic injury-related fetal deaths in Pennsylvania were determined from a manual review of fetal death certificates filed from 1995-1997 (7,131 cases). Thirty-one traumatic injury cases were identified (6.5 per 100,000 live births). Most cases (94%) could be identified from the ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision, Clinical Modification) 760.5 (maternal injury) diagnosis code and 87% contained narratives indicating specific injury mechanisms. Motor vehicles were the leading cause of injury (81% ). Placental separation was the leading diagnosis (42%). The ICD-9-CM 760.5 code appears to be a specific indicator of traumatic fetal death, though it is not known how sensitive an indicator it is. Though not E-coded, the death certificates contained enough information to allow ascertainment of injury mechanism. Motor vehicle crashes play a predominant role in reported fetal traumatic injury-related deaths. (A)
Samenvatting