Analysis of Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Referred to Tertiary Care Hospitals of Pakistan

Abstract

Background and Aim: Maternal morbidity is a major health problem affecting approximately millions of women annually and had a substantial influence on fetal and infant health that might lead to maternal mortality. Maternal mortality is an indicator of the quality of obstetric care in a community directly reflecting the utilization of health care services available. The present study was conducted in order to analyze the maternal morbidity and mortality cases referred to a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 89 maternal deaths out of 9874 obstetrical admissions or births referred to department of Gynae/Obs of tertiary care hospitals i.e Makran Medical College, Turbat/ Teaching Hospital, Kech and Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi over a period of five years from 2017 to 2021. All the pregnant women with gestation age >24 weeks admitted for any obstetrical emergencies were enrolled in this study. Patient’s demographic characteristics, clinical features during admission, and maternal relevant information were collected on pre-designed proforma. SPSS version 21 was used for data analysis. Results: Out of total 9874 births, maternal deaths were 89; the mortality incidence with prevalence was hemorrhage 7 (7.9%), hypertensive disorders 34 (38.2%), anesthetic issue 2 (2.2%), sepsis 14 (15.7%), and medical complications 31 (34.8%). The occurrence of direct and indirect maternal death was 55 (61.8%) and 34 (38.2%) respectively. The incidence of the mortality rate was 22.9%. Of the total 387 morbidity cases, hypertensive disorders were the prevalent cause with 295 (76.2%) cases followed by obstetric hemorrhage 55 (14.2%), medical complications 25 (6.5%), sepsis 11 (2.8%), and anesthetic complications 1 (0.3%). The incidence of morbidity was 77.4 per year. Conclusion: Medical complications, sepsis, and hemorrhage are the leading causes of maternal mortality, followed by hypertensive disorders. Mortality and morbidity rates were 22.9% and 3.9% respectively. All of these causes can be avoided with proper antenatal care facilitation. Keywords: Hemorrhage, Maternal mortality, Sepsis