Outcomes of twin pregnancies at the Hospital Central of Maputo: retrospective study of 315 consecutive twin deliveries, January 1-September 30, 1987.

Between January 1 and September 30, 1987, 315 (3.53% of total deliveries) consecutive twin gestations were delivered at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Hospital Central in Maputo Mozambique. There were 42 perinatal deaths (stillbirths + early neonatal deaths) among the 630 infants born (66.7 per 1000) and 21 early neonatal deaths among the 609 live-born infants (34.5 per 1000). Early neonatal death frequency was higher among second twins than among first ones (50 per 1000 versus 19.7 per 1000), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Most of the second twin early neonatal deaths (11/15) were associated with a breech vaginal delivery of the first twin.