Lethal congenital anomalies as a cause of birth-weight-specific neonatal mortality
R. L. Goldenberg, J. L. Humphrey, C. B. Hale and J. B. Wayne
The percentage of neonatal mortality caused by lethal congenital anomalies
and the distribution of specific anomalies in various birth-weight groups
are presented. State vital statistics data and autopsy-confirmed data from
a single hospital are compared. Of neonates who died, less than 5% who were
born weighing between 500 and 999 g died of a congenital anomaly, and
nearly 45% who were born weighing more than 2,500 g died of a congenital
anomaly. Most deaths associated with congenital anomalies in infants born
weighing more than 2,500 g are cardiac in origin. Twenty-three percent of
all neonatal deaths in Alabama are attributed to a lethal congenital
anomaly. Use of these data to define limits to future improvements in
neonatal mortality by standard medical care is discussed.
