Determinants of Perinatal Mortality in Arba Minch General Hospital, Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Perinatal mortality is one of the major challenges for under-five mortality contributingthree fourth of deaths in neonatal period. In Ethiopia the magnitude of perinatal mortality is among the highest inSub Saharan Africa which ranges 66 to 124 per 1000 births. Factors affecting perinatal death varies among countrieswith related to the health care provided, therefore identifying this factors is important. The objective this study wasto assess determinants of perinatal mortality in Arba Minch Hospital.METHODS: A facility based case control study was conducted using a pre-tested check list on 821 documents(274 cases & 547 controls) reviewed from January 2017 to June 2017 in Arba Minch hospital. Descriptive statisticswas used to describe the status of study population and multi-variable logistic regression used to establish predictorsof perinatal mortality.RESULT: A total of 821 (274 cases & 547 control) documents of included mothers were reviewed. The studyindicated that majority of cases 218(79.6%) & controls 429(78.5%) age were (20-34). About 213(77.7%) for case &490(89.6%) for the control had ANC follow up, 262(95.6%) cases and 106(19.4%) of the controls had at least onetype of obstetric complication & 524(95.8%) of controls & 247(90.1%) of cases were cephalic. This study identifiesobstetric complication (AOR178.941; 95%CI (70.052, 457.087)), use of partogaraph (AOR 8.970; 95%CI (4.801,16.759); gestational age (AOR 0.507; 95% CI (0.261, 0.987)) and mode of delivery (AOR 0.167; 95% CI (0.084,0.331)) as factors that determine perinatal mortality.CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION: History of obstetric complications, use of partograph;gestational age and mode of delivery were factors associated with perinatal mortality. Therefore, hospital staffsparticularly those working at MCH need to give particular emphasis on use of Partogaraph & identifying obstetriccomplication at the time of ANC follow up & delivery.KEY WORDS: perinatal mortality, still birth, Case control, early neonatal death.