Maternal fatalities, fetal and neonatal deaths related to motor vehicle crashes during pregnancy: a national population-based study

• OBJECTIVES: Firstly, determine the mortality rate for: pregnant women; fetuses and neonates, due to motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) during pregnancy; and secondly, the rate of major injuries among pregnant women and the rate of involvement of pregnant women in crashes. DESIGN: A national population-based, retrospective descriptive study. SETTING: Sweden, 1991-2001. Population. All pregnant and non-pregnant women age 15-44. METHODS: Linkage of national traffic, medical and autopsy registers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maternal death or injury and corresponding fetal death. Results. MVCs during pregnancy caused 1.4 maternal fatalities per 100,000 pregnancies and a fetus/neonate mortality rate of least 3.7 per 100,000 pregnancies. The incidence of maternal major injury was 23/100,000 pregnancies and crash involvement was 207/100,000 pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: MVCs during pregnancy were a significant cause of maternal fatalities, fetal and neonatal deaths, responsible for almost 1/3 of all maternal deaths and fatalities, and caused nearly three times more fetal plus neonatal deaths than maternal fatalities.

Nyckelord

Accidents

Traffic/*mortality

Adolescent

Adult

Female

Fetal Death/epidemiology/*etiology

Fetus

Humans

*Infant Mortality

Infant

Newborn

Pregnancy

Registries

Retrospective Studies

Sweden/epidemiology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)