Newborn mortality 'halved when pregnancy reaches 39 weeks'
Tuesday 24th May 2011
Risk of newborn death is cut in half when the pregnancy reaches 39 weeks, research has shown.
A study, published in journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, revealed although the overall risk of death is small, it more than doubles for babies born at 37 weeks compared to those born at 40 weeks.
In 2006, for babies born at 40 weeks of pregnancy, the mortality rate was seen to be 1.9 per every 1,000 live births. In comparison, those born at 37 weeks had a rate of 3.9 per cent per 1,000.
Alan R Fleischman, of March of the Dimes, one of the participating institutions, said: "It is clear, that regardless of race or ethnicity, every additional week of pregnancy is critical to a baby's health."
This follows news that increasing the usage of electronic medical records could reduce infant mortality.
According to a study published in the Journal of Political Economy, a ten per cent rise in hospital use of basic electronic records would save 16 infants for every 100,000 live births in the USA.
Written by Mathew Horton
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