Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40697534›Full record

ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Western Pacific2025

Use of the International Classification of Diseases to Perinatal Mortality (ICD-PM) with verbal autopsy to determine the causes of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in rural Cambodia: a population-based, prospective, cohort study.

Kaajal Patel, Sopheakneary Say, Daly Leng, Sophanou Khut, Sothearith Duong, Chou Ly, Arthur Riedel, Koung Lo, Verena Carrara, Claudia Turner

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In one paragraph

Article in The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Kaajal PatelSaving Babies' Lives Programme, Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Sopheakneary SaySaving Babies' Lives Programme, Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Daly LengSaving Babies' Lives Programme, Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Sophanou KhutSaving Babies' Lives Programme, Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Sothearith DuongSaving Babies' Lives Programme, Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Chou LySaving Babies' Lives Programme, Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Arthur RiedelSaving Babies' Lives Programme, Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Koung LoPreah Vihear Provincial Health Department, Preah Vihear, Cambodia.
Verena CarraraCentre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK.
Claudia TurnerSaving Babies' Lives Programme, Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Perinatal mortality remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Accurate cause-of-death data are essential to inform effective interventions but are often scarce. This study aimed to identify causes of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in rural Cambodia using verbal autopsy (VA) and the WHO International Classification of Diseases to Perinatal Mortality (ICD-PM). Methods: A four-year prospective study (2018-2022) in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, established a community health worker-based pregnancy surveillance system. Verbal autopsy was conducted on stillbirths and neonatal deaths, with dual physician analysis to interpret VA data. To classify causes of death, ICD-PM was applied with adaptations made for stillbirths with unknown timing of death. Findings: A total of 522 deaths (229 stillbirths, 293 neonatal deaths) were recorded, and 79.1% (413) had a VA. Applying ICD-PM, primary causes of death were identified for 36.6% of stillbirths and 95.0% of neonatal deaths. The leading cause of death was hypoxia for intrapartum stillbirths (78.3%), low birth weight and prematurity for early neonatal deaths (40.9%), and infection for late neonatal deaths (51.4%). Complications during labour and delivery were the leading maternal contributing condition for intrapartum stillbirths (63.3%) and early neonatal deaths (42.4%). Unknown timing of death was assigned to 12.0% of stillbirths. Interpretation: Application of ICD-PM with VA-derived data provides valuable insights into causes of stillbirths and neonatal deaths. However, adaptations are necessary to address ICD-PM's limitations, particularly to classify unknown timing of death. Our findings can contribute to global efforts to improve the reporting of perinatal mortality data. Funding: This study is nested in the Saving Babies' Lives study, which was supported by funding from Angkor Hospital for Children, Civil Society in Development, Fu Tak Iam Foundation, Manan Trust, T&J Meyer Family Foundation, Vitol Foundation, IF Foundation, and Wellcome Trust [220211]. This research was funded in part by the Wellcome Trust [220211/Z/20/Z].

Indexed as

CambodiaCause of deathCommunity health workerICD-PMNeonatal mortalityPerinatal mortalityPhysician analysisStillbirthsSurveillanceVerbal autopsy

Identifiers

PMID40697534
PMCPMC12282259

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.