High risk antenatal hospitalization.

High risk, antenatal units have been established to provide highly sophisticated obstetric care for women with complications of pregnancy. In an effort to more precisely define the patients requiring this care, and to begin to document the benefits of antenatal hospitalization, a 2-year prospective evaluation of the Antenatal Unit (AU) at the Brigham and Women's Hospital was performed. Between July 1, 1978 and June 30, 1980, 1488 consecutive patients were admitted to the AU. Demographic data, antenatal hospitalization time, hospitalization outcome, and delivery data were determined for these patients. Diabetes mellitus, premature labor, hypertensive disorders, premature rupture of the membranes, and late pregnancy bleeding disorders resulted in over 60% of the admissions. Follow-up data demonstrated that among these 1488 patients admitted to the AU, there occurred 32 stillbirths (21.5/1000), 50 neonatal deaths (33.6/1000), and no maternal deaths. This study demonstrated that a broad spectrum of medical, surgical, and obstetric complications necessitate antenatal hospitalization, resulting in an overall perinatal survival rate of 95%.