AIMS Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy increases women's risk of pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes. The goal of this study was to examine the association between IPV and prenatal trauma and placental abruption during pregnancy. METHODS Prenatal and hospital obstetrical charts were reviewed for 2873 women who gave birth between January 2000 and March 2002 in a N...

OBJECTIVE Rib fractures are uncommon in infancy and, when diagnosed, often raise the suspicion of child abuse. However, the prevalence of other causes of rib fractures has not been well defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the causes and clinical presentations of rib fractures in infants <12 months old. METHODS Retrospectively, we identified all infants with rib fractures under...

BACKGROUND Perineal injury is a serious complication of vaginal delivery that has a severe impact on the quality of life of healthy women. The prevalence of perineal injuries among women who give birth in hospital has increased over the last decade, while it is lower among women who give birth at home. The aim of this study was to describe the practice of midwives in home birth settings with th...

This study assessed cumulative effects of multiple mild head injuries on cognitive functioning in children. Subjects included 1586 children with one mild head injury, 278 with two, and 51 with three or more head injuries between birth and age 10 years and controls without head injuries matched on gender and total number of injuries. The number of head injuries and injuries not to the head was a...

OBJECTIVE To identify the major causes of perinatal mortality in South Africa. SETTING Seventy-three state hospitals throughout South Africa representing metropolitan areas, cities and towns and rural areas. METHOD Users of the Perinatal Problem Identification Programme (PPIP) amalgamated their data to provide descriptive information on the causes of perinatal death and the avoidable factor...