An Analysis of 16,327 Breech Births

The perinatal mortality rate associated with the delivery of an infant presenting by the breech is analyzed in this report. Information gathered from 147 hospitals during the years 1961 and 1962 has been subjected to computer analysis. A total of 404,847 patients were delivered during this period; of these 16,327 were breech deliveries. The perinatal death rate for all breeches is 5 1/2 times greater than for the entire study. When corrected for prematurity and limited to babies weighing over 2,500 gm, the breech perinatal mortality is still 3 1/2 times the expected value for its frequency incidence. Breech presentation carries a definite risk to the baby and presents a challenge to all physicians engaged in obstetrics.