Hendrik Odendaal
Placental abruption is the partial or complete separation of the placenta before the birth of the baby. This severe complication is seen in 0.4%-1% of pregnancies and is responsible for 10% of all preterm births and 10%-20% of all perinatal deaths [1]. For the USA and Japan the prevalence rate seems to vary around 0.9%,[2,3] but a rate of 4.4% has been reported in India [4]. Placental abruption and placenta praevia are attributed causes of stillbirth in 7.5 to 42% of 142 studies in low to middle-income countries included in a systematic review [5]. In highincome countries, placental abruption and growth restriction carry the highest population-attributable risks of pregnancy disorders for stillbirths (15% and 23% respectively) [