[Possibilities and limitations of obstetric intensive medicine: a cost-savings analysis (author's transl)].

With the increasing use of obstetrics intensive supervision methods, perinatal mortality could be decreased from greater than 2.5% to less than 1.0% between 1965-1975. Cases of clinically relevant acidosis in the umbilical artery (pH less than 7.10) declined from 2.41% to 0.51% between 1973-1975. On the basis of these results and the statistical data from Hagberg (14), it can be concluded that 1 child out of every 1.000 births can be preserved from a severe infantile cerebral paresis and 1 child from severe mental retardation via obstetric intensive supervision. The cost for obstetric intensive medicine per 1.000 births was 370.000 Swiss francs in 1975. As a result of the decline in cerebrally damaged and mentally retarded children, expenditures of between 1.3 to 1.9 million Swiss francs were avoided. This means a savings of 1 to 1.5 million Swiss francs.