Subamniotic Hematoma as a Cause of Neonatal Death

ABSTRACT

An autopsy case of a newborn male who died of exsanguination into the subamniotic space of placenta presumably due to the rupture of the umbilical vein, is reported. This fetus, previously uneventful except for hydramnios and partial breech presentation showed obvious signs of fetal distrees during the first stage of labor that lasted for 6 hours to this 25 year old multigravid mother who came to the hospital because of labor pain at 29 weeks of gestation. Immediately after birth the baby was pale and the Apgar score was 1. He died 30 minutes after birth. Postmortem examination confirmed generalized pallor in this 1380 gm baby, with petechial hemorrhage of viscera and subarachnoid hemorrhage. No other findings of the cause of death were found. The placenta showed large ellipsoid subamniotic hematoma containing approximately 76 ml of blood, which is 57% of the total circulation blood volume of the fetus.