Maternal mortality in a tertiary care hospital: A 7-year review

Abstract

Background: The maternal mortality ratio over seven years was studied and the causes leading to maternal deaths and preventable factors were analysed. Materials and methods: The records of maternal deaths from January 2011 to December 2017 (7 years) were collected. Various factors such as maternal age, antenatal registration, parity, causes of deaths, and admission to death interval were reviewed. Results: The mean mortality rate was 185. The direct causes of maternal mortality were haemorrhage (18.1%) and preeclampsia/eclampsia (18.1%). The indirect obstetric causes were hepatitis (9.09%), anaemia (9.09), heart disease (4.54), and miscellaneous (36.36%). Most of the cases (86.36%) were referred. The majority of the deaths (81.8%) occurred in the age group of 20–30 years. Conclusion: Early antenatal registration, identification, and management of high risk patients and their early referral to higher centres can help in reducing complications and maternal mortality.