Intrauterine Fetal Death and Delivery Complications Associated with Coagulopathy: A Retrospective Analysis of 104 Cases

Abstract Objective: To assess the prevalence of delivery complications associated with coagulopathy in women with intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of women with IUFD at >24 weeks gestation or a birth weight of >500 g between 1994 and 2007. Clinical data were assessed by chart review. Results: One hundred four women were diagnosed with IUFD. The mean time between diagnosis of IUFD and delivery was 28.8 (±17.4) hours. Twelve of 104 (11.5%) women had a delivery complication associated with coagulopathy, defined as need for blood transfusion. In 8 of these 12 women, coagulopathy was associated with a preexisting preeclampsia/hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet (HELLP) syndrome, uterine rupture after induction, or an acute clinical problem at presentation to the clinic. In 4 of 104 (4%) women, there was no attributable cause of coagulopathy other than IUFD. In these women, there was a statistically significant difference of laboratory parameters of coag...