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39
Abortion or miscarriage 5
Admitted for ante-natal treatment and subsequently
evacuated, confined at own home or admitted to
Oldchurch Hospital 4
Born before arrival at Home 7
Hysterotomy and sterilization 1
Not pregnant and transferred to Oldchurch Hospital 1
Ward Blocks.—311 cases were admitted to the Ward Blocks. In
addition four patients admitted to the Emergency Block for ante-natal
treatment were subsequently transferred to or re-admitted to the Ward
Blocks for confinement. Seven patients admitted to the Ward Blocks were
transferred to the Emergency Block for confinement.
25 of the 311 cases had not been booked for admission to the Home.
Seven cases were not confined in the Home for the following reasons:—
Admitted for ante-natal treatment and subsequently
confined at own home or Oldchurch Hospital 2
Abortion or miscarriage 3
Termination of pregnancy 1
Not pregnant 1
The average number of patients in the Ward Blocks per day during 1941
was 12.7 and the average length of stay of patients was 16.8 days.
In 21 of the 301 confinements the patient had been previously admitted
for varying periods of observation, being subsequently re-admitted for the
confinement.
Of the 301 confinements there were:—
(a) 188 cases of first confinement.
(b) 113 cases having their second or subsequent confinement.
(c) 27 cases living in 2 rooms or less (21 being first confinements).
(d) 48 cases living in 3 rooms (37 being first confinements).
Of the 301 cases, 1 woman had engaged her own doctor who was
present at the birth.
Twenty-nine cases (or 9.6 per cent.) were delivered by means of forceps,
9 following surgical induction; 1 of the infants was stillborn and 1 died
aged 3 weeks.
In addition, labour was surgically induced in 61 cases; 3 of the infants
were stillborn and 1 died aged 5 days.
There were 5 deaths of infants in the Ward Blocks.
The neo-natal death-rate of babies born in the Ward Blocks was 2.4
per cent, compared with 2.1 per cent, in the district in general. The deathrate
of babies who died before 14 days, born in the Ward Blocks, was 2.0
per cent, in 1941 and 1.3 per cent, in 1940.
The infant mortality rate of children born in the Ward Blocks of the
Maternity Home was 43.3 per 1,000 births, as compared with 39.9 born in
their own homes. The figure of 39.9 has been arrived at after deduction of
all deaths of infants born in the Maternity Home, and is calculated on the
total births in the district, excluding those in the Maternity Home.
There were 12 stillbirths in the Ward Blocks.
Thirteen cases were notified as suffering from Puerperal Pyrexia. Five
of these cases and seven other patients were removed to the Isolation Hospital.
In addition one baby notified as suffering from Pemphigus Neonatorum was
removed to the Isolation Hospital.
One case of ophthalmia neonatorum was notified from the Home during
the year; the only organism found in the discharge from the eye was
Staphylococcus Albus. The condition of the eyes cleared up without
difficulty.