Could Birth Weight to Placental Weight Ratio Predict Postpartum Haemorrhage and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Admission?

Objective: To evaluate the usability of the ratio of birth weight to placental weight [fetoplacental ratio (FPR)] in predicting postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission.

Study Design: Prospective observational study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training & Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey, between July 2020 and July 2021.

Methodology: Women who were supposed to have an uncomplicated delivery with a live, single, term pregnancy without any concomitant disease, were included in the study. Patients with PPH were accepted as the study group and patients without PPH were the control group. For NICU requirement, babies who were admitted to NICU were the study group, and babies who did not require NICU were the control group. The fetoplacental ratio was calculated by dividing the newborn weight to placental weight and evaluated in the prediction of NICU admission and PPH.

Results: The number of patients included in the study was 812. Approximately 7% of women had postpartum haemorrhage. The FPR was found as an independent predictor for PPH by nearly 3.5 fold. Women who experienced PPH had heavier placenta and lower fetoplacental ratio. Patients whose babies were admitted to NICU also had lower FPR with statistically significant differences.

Conclusion: The fetoplacental ratio could be a promising predictor for PPH and NICU admission in the postpartum period. Since novel studies are needed using ultrasonographic measurements during antenatal surveillance to predict PPH or NICU admission.

Key Words: Birth weight, Neonatal intensive care unit, Placental weight, Postpartum haemorrhage, Cesarean birth, Vaginal birth, Fetoplacental ratio.