Mortality in out‐of‐hospital premature births

Aim: To determine whether the mortality for out‐of‐hospital (OOH) premature births was higher than for in‐hospital premature births and identify additional risk factors. Patients and Methods: A historical cohort study of a consecutive series of live‐born, OOH, births of 24–35 weeks gestation cared for by two Transport Teams working in and around Paris, France 1994–2005. Matching with in‐hospital births was according to gestational age, antenatal steroid use, the mode of delivery and nearest year of birth. Results: Eighty‐five OOH premature births were identified, of whom 83 met inclusion criteria, and 132 matching in‐hospital premature births were selected. There was 18% mortality in the OOH group compared with 8% for the in‐hospital group p = 0.04, OR 2.9, (CI 95% 1.0–8.4)]. Variables significantly associated (p < 0.05) with the OOH birth were HIV infection, lower maternal age and endo‐tracheal intubation, lack of medical follow‐up during pregnancy, low temperature and low birth weight. Conclusions: Mortality was more than twice as high in out‐of‐hospital deliveries than for in‐hospital matched controls. Hypothermia was an important associated risk factor. Measures such as oxygen administration to maintain an appropriate saturation for gestational age, the provision of polyethylene plastic wraps and skin‐to‐skin contact are recommended.