MEETING ABSTRACT Open Access Stillbirth surveillance consortium

Stillbirths have an estimated prevalence of 6 per 1,000 live births and fetal deaths combined in the United States (U.S.), yet major risk factors for these adverse birth outcomes remain elusive [1,2]. Historically in the U.S., surveillance information about stillbirth has come from fetal death certificates maintained by the National Vital Statistics System. Data collection within the National Vital Statistics Sys-tem is guided by the Model State Vital Statistics Act and Regulations (Model Law), which defines fetal loss as showing no signs of breath or cardiac activity after expulsion [3]. The Model Law also recommends report-ing a fetal loss as a stillbirth if the fetus weighs 350 grams or greater, or if no birth weight is available, the fetus is at least 20 weeks in gestational age. Each state in the U.S. develops its own definition, reporting criteria, and fetal death certificate, which can produce variability in reporting across states [4]. Addi-tionally, previous studies suggest that fetal death certifi-cate data are limited in utility as a source for national stillbirth surveillance due to under- or over-reporting and the completeness and quality of recorded data [5]. An alternative approach to surveillance of stillbirths is the use of established birth defect surveillance systems to incorporate active case finding for stillbirths. This approach permits population-based identification of affected pregnancies and characterization of the epide-miology of these pregnancies. In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established projects for stillbirth surveillance using the established infrastruc-tures of the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program and the Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders, two premier birth defect surveil-lance systems in the U.S