Definition
A perinatal death is defined as either:
- a child born alive at any gestation (one whose heart has beaten after it has been completely expelled or extracted from its mother) and subsequently dies within 28 days of birth (a neonatal death)
- a child not born alive (one whose heart has not beaten after it has been completely expelled or extracted from its mother) and is either not less than 20 weeks gestation or not less than 400 grams by weight at birth (a stillbirth)
Review and report of perinatal deaths
Local "hub" perinatal mortality committees should audit all perinatal deaths (public and private) and as part of this review, classify the cause of death using the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand perinatal mortality classifications. The audit should be multidisciplinary and involve staff from all maternity and neonatal services within the local network.
To enable the council to compile a comprehensive report on perinatal deaths, the senior medical officer involved in the case is requested to ensure that a Australian Perinatal Mortality Clinical Audit Tool is completed and emailed to QMPQC@health.qld.gov.au.
Information on perinatal deaths in Queensland is also submitted for inclusion in the AIHW Australian Mothers and Babies reports.
