Can We Predict Feto-Maternal Outcome with the Help of Risk Scoring System?

Background: Present study was conducted with a background in mind to study high risk pregnancies and to reduce untoward complications in them by counselling, antenatatal care, clean and safe delivery and postpartum care and to compare them with their counterparts having low risk. Objectives: The primary aim of studying the diseased is to save the healthy. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate maternal and perinatal outcome of pregnancies with high risk score (>9) at the time of delivery and (2) to compare them with their counterparts having sore (<9). Material and Methods: A case-control study was conducted at the Rabindra Nath Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur, between January and December 2005 among 400 pregnant women of gestational age >28 weeks. They were grouped into case (score >9) and control (score <9) groups according to the Coopland et al. (1977) and Daga and Daga (1996) scoring systems modified according to local needs. Results: All the complications, like perinatal deaths (93.33%), low-birth-weight babies (77.27%), asphyxiated babies born with Apgar score <7 (79.16%), operative deliveries (74%) and post-partum haemorrhage (PPH 78.3%), were much higher in high score women, as compared with women with low score. The figures were statistically significant with a P-value of <0.001, thereby ascertaining the reliability of the scoring system in identification of high-risk mothers and foetuses. Conclusion: From the study, it may be concluded that it is possible to identify mothers who were expected to contribute disproportionately to poor pregnancy outcome as a consistent trend was noted, with higher score yielding the poorest obstetric results.