Pilot Study of Maternal and Neonatal Factors in Premature Infant Mortality

Since premature birth is the largest single cause of infant and neonatal mortality 1 nationally as well as locally in New York City, it is evident that further significant reduction in these mortality rates will be achieved only by the prevention of premature birth and by the provision of better pediatric and nursing care for the prematurely born infant. Significant reduction of maternal mortality has occurred to a great extent as a result of intensive studies which medical and public health groups have conducted of individual maternal deaths and as a result of the application of the knowledge thus acquired. It is reasonable to expect that a comparable method, if applied to deaths among prematurely born infants, might accomplish similar results. Therefore, a pilot study of a sample of deaths among prematurely born infants in Brooklyn was undertaken jointly by the Child Health and Welfare Committee of the Kings County