Chapter 6 Death (Mortality) Rates

Complication

A medical condition that arises during an inpatient hospitalization (for example, a postoperative wound infection)

Fetal death rate

A proportion that compares the number of intermediate and/or late fetal deaths to the total number of live births and intermediate or late fetal deaths during the same period of time

Mortality rate

A rate that measures the risk of death for the cause under study in a defined population during a given time period

Mortality

A term referring to the incidence of death in a specific population; also, the loss of subjects during the course of a clinical research study, or attrition

Perinatal death

An all inclusive term that refers to both stillborn infants and neonatal deaths

Newborn

An inpatient who was born in a hospital at the beginning of the current inpatient hospitalization

Surgical procedure

Any single, separate, systematic process upon or within the body that can be complete in itself; is normally performed by a physician, dentist, or other licensed practitioner; can be performed with or without instruments; and is performed to restore disunited or deficient parts, remove diseased or injured tissues, extract foreign matter, assist in obstetrical delivery, or aid in diagnosis

Maternal death rate

For a hospital, the total number of maternal deaths directly related to pregnancy for a given time period divided by the total number of obstetrical discharges for the same tie period; for a community, the total number of deaths attributed to maternal conditions during a given time period in a specific geographic area divided by the total number of live births for the same time period in the same area

Net death rate

The total number of inpatient deaths minus the number of deaths that occurred less than 48 hours after admission for a given time period divided by the total number of inpatient discharges minus the number of deaths that occurred less than 48 hours after admission for the same time period

Hospital death rate

The number of inpatient deaths for a given period of time divided by the total number of live discharges and deaths for the same time period

Gross death rate

The number of inpatient deaths that occurred during a given time period divided by the total number of inpatient discharges, including deaths for the same time period

Newborn mortality rate

The number of newborns who died divided by the total number of newborns, both alive and dead

Newborn death rate

The number of newborns who died divided by the total number of newborns, both alive and dead;

Neonatal period

The period of an infant's life from the hour of birth through the first 27days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes of life

Death rate

The proportion of inpatient hospitalizations that end in death

Cancer mortality rate

The proportion of patients who die from cancer

Anesthesia death rate

The ratio of deaths caused by anesthetic agents to the number of anesthetics administered during a specified period of time

Postoperative death rate

The ratio of deaths within 10 days after surgery to the total number of operations performed during a specified period of time

Surgical death rate

The ratio of deaths within 10 days after surgery to the total number of operations performed during a specified period of time

Case fatality rate

The total number of deaths due to a specific illness during a given time period divided by the total number of cases during the same period

Crude Death Rate

The total number of deaths in a given population for a given period of time divided by the estimated population for the same period of time

Institutional death rate

The total number of inpatient deaths minus the number of deaths that occurred less than 48 hours after admission for a given time period divided by the total number of inpatient discharges minus the number of deaths that occurred less than 48 hours after admission for the same time period

Late fetal death

The death of a product of human conception that is 28 weeks or more of gestation and weighs 1,001 grams or more before its complete expulsion or extraction from the mother

Early fetal death

The death of a product of human conception that is fewer than 20 weeks of gestation and 500 grams or less in weight before its complete expulsion or extraction from the mother

Maternal death

The death of any woman, from any cause, related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (regardless of duration or site of pregnancy), but not from accidental or incidental causes

Postneonatal death

The death of liveborn infant from 28 days to the end of the first year of life (364 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes from the moment of birth)

Center for Medicare an Medicaid Services

The division of the Department of Health and Human Services that is responsible for developing healthcare policy in the US and for administering the Medicare program and the federal portion of the Medicaid program; called the Health Care Financing Administration (HFCA) prior to 2001

Disposition

For outpatients, the healthcare practitioner's description of the patient's status at discharge (no follow up planned, foll up planed or scheduled, referred elsewhere, expired) for inpatients, a core health data element that identifies the circumstances under which the patient left the hospital (discharged alive, discharged to home or self-care, discharged and transferred to a skilled nursing facility, discharged and transferred to an intermediate care facility, discharged and transferred to another type of institution for inpatient care or referred for outpatient services to another institution, discharged and transferred to home under care of an organized home health services organization, discharged and transferred to home under care of a home intravenous therapy provider, left against medical advice or discontinued care, expired, status not stated)

Hospital live birth

In an inpatient facility, the complete expulsion or extraction of a product of human conception from the mother, regardless of the duration of pregnancy, which, after such expulsion or extraction, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles

Postpartum

Occurring after childbirth

Prepartum

Occurring prior to childbirth

Surgical operation

One or more surgical procedures performed at one time for one patient via a common approach or for a common purpose

World Health Organization (WHO)

The United Nations specialized agency created to ensure the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible levels of health and responsible for a number of international classifications, including the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10)and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF)

Stillbirth

The birth of a fetus, regardless of gestational age, that shows no evidence of life (such as heartbeats or respirations) after complete expulsion or extraction from the mother during childbirth

Dead on arrival

The condition of a patient who arrives at a healthcare facility with no signs of life an who was pronounced dead by a physician

Infant death

The death of a liveborn infant at any time from the moment of birth to the end of the first year of life (364 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes from the moment of birth)

Newborn death

The death of a liveborn infant born in the hospital at the beginning of the current inpatient hospitalization

Neonatal death

The death of a liveborn infant within the first 27 days, 23 hours,and 59 minutes following the moment of birth

Fetal death

The death of a product of human conception before its complete expulsion or extraction from the mother regardless of the duration of the pregnancy; also called stillborn

Intermediate fetal death

The death of a product of human conception before its complete expulsion or extraction from the mother that has completed 20 weeks of gestation (but less than 28 weeks) and weighs 501 to 1,000 grams