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Maternal mortality in a maternity hospital in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: To determine the leading causes of maternal mortality in a large maternity hospital and to define priorities regarding this subject throughout Turkey. METHODS: Retrospective, institutional study among 100,531 live births between 1983 and 1992. RESULTS: Seventeen maternal deaths took place in this institution. Thus, the overall maternal mortality ratio was 16.9 per 100,000. The leading causes of maternal mortality were hemorrhage in seven (41.2%) and pulmonary embolism in six (35.3%) patients. The majority of deaths were observed in the 25-29 and 30-34 age groups and in patients with parity more than two. CONCLUSION: The relatively low figure of 16.9/100,000 for maternal mortality may be seen as a promising health index. However, obstetric hemorrhage is still the leading cause of this series. Pregnant women less than 20 years old and greater than 35 years old, and grand multiparous women as well as women with hypertension and heart disease are at high mortality risk. The observation of such cases demands further efforts for improved obstetric care in the hospital and throughout Turkey.

Adolescent↗

Maternal mortality in the United States: report from the Maternal Mortality Collaborative.

To better define the incidence, causes, and risk factors associated with maternal deaths, the Maternal Mortality Collaborative in 1983 initiated national voluntary surveillance of maternal mortality. The Maternal Mortality Collaborative reported 601 maternal deaths from 19 reporting areas for 1980-1985, representing a maternal mortality ratio of 14.1 per 100,000 live births. Overall, 37% more maternal deaths were reported by the Maternal Mortality Collaborative than by the National Center for Health Statistics for these reporting areas. Older women and women of black and other races continued to have higher mortality than younger women and white women. The five most common causes of death for all reported cases were embolism, nonobstetric injuries, hypertensive disease of pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, and obstetric hemorrhage. Compared with national maternal mortality for 1974-1978, ratios were lower for all causes except for indirect causes, anesthesia, and cerebrovascular accidents. Fatal injuries among pregnant women are not commonly reported to maternal mortality committees. As maternal mortality from direct obstetric causes continues to decline, clinicians will need to emphasize preventing deaths from nonobstetric causes.

Black or African American↗

A community based investigation of causes of maternal mortality in rural and urban Zimbabwe. Maternal Mortality Study Group.

UNLABELLED: Most data on maternal mortality in Zimbabwe has been urban hospital based. Using a network of informants and sensitized health workers an attempt was made to identify and investigate all maternal deaths in rural Masvingo and urban Harare over a two year period. The present report discusses place of death and the medical causes in both populations. Results gave maternal mortality rates of 168 and 85 per 100,000 live births for Masvingo and Harare respectively. These rates are significantly higher than those from conventional reporting systems especially in the rural area where 27 pc of deaths occurred at home or in transit. The leading medical causes of death were haemorrhage in Masvingo (25 pc of deaths) and eclampsia in Harare (26 pc), with puerperal and post abortal sepsis as the next most common causes in both cases. Malaria featured as the major indirect cause in Masvingo (7.6 pc). There were four suicides committed following unwanted pregnancy. The rural/urban variation in causation of death is discussed and the study results compared with other community based studies internationally. SYNOPSIS: This community based study revealed higher maternal mortality rates (MMR) than conventional statistics, especially in the rural area where deaths occurred at home or in transit. In the rural area the MMR was higher and the leading cause of death was haemorrhage, compared to eclampsia in the urban area. Strategies to reduce maternal deaths should include factors both within and outside health service structures.

Adolescent↗

Maternal mortality surveillance and maternal death reviews in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

This paper presents the findings of a 1999 survey of 19 countries of the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region on maternal mortality surveillance systems and death review activities in the Region. Data were collected by questionnaire completed by ministry of health personnel. The findings show that 13 countries require official reporting of deaths of women of reproductive age. Most of the countries conduct maternal death reviews although only 8 have surveillance systems. Other areas investigated were the sources of information on maternal deaths, types of data collected, how the data are analysed and how such data are used. There is a need to strengthen information systems on maternal mortality in the Region in order to guide decision-makers in the planning and evaluation of maternal health programmes.

Cause of Death↗

[Maternal mortality at the Maternity and Neonatology Center in Rabta of Tunis from 1986 to 1989].

We studied 29 cases of maternal death occurring over a period of 3 years in the "Centre de Maternité et de Néonatologie de La Rabta-Tunis"; managed by the same staff. 42,028 live births occurred during the study years with 43,220 total births from April 24th 1986 to April 23rd 1989. The maternal mortality rate was 69 per 100,000 live births. A maternal age of under 35, nulliparity and grand multiparity were found, as is well known, to be risk factors. Maternal transfer in obstructed labour from rural maternity units raises the maternal death risk 12 times: 14 deaths out of 29 occurred in transferred patients. Haemorrhage represents a quarter of the causes of death (8 cases) while anaesthetic accidents were responsible for one in six maternal deaths. Some factors were not found such as abruptio placentae, while others such as eclampsia were reduced. We concluded that the maternal mortality rate even though it has been reduced over the last 3 decades it is still high compared with developed countries. We can cut it in half by avoiding maternal transfer in labour.

Adolescent↗

National estimates for maternal mortality: an analysis based on the WHO systematic review of maternal mortality and morbidity.

BACKGROUND: Despite the worldwide commitment to improving maternal health, measuring, monitoring and comparing maternal mortality estimates remain a challenge. Due to lack of data, international agencies have to rely on mathematical models to assess its global burden. In order to assist in mapping the burden of reproductive ill-health, we conducted a systematic review of incidence/prevalence of maternal mortality and morbidity. METHODS: We followed the standard methodology for systematic reviews. This manuscript presents nationally representative estimates of maternal mortality derived from the systematic review. Using regression models, relationships between study-specific and country-specific variables with the maternal mortality estimates are explored in order to assist further modelling to predict maternal mortality. RESULTS: Maternal mortality estimates included 141 countries and represent 78.1% of the live births worldwide. As expected, large variability between countries, and within regions and subregions, is identified. Analysis of variability according to study characteristics did not yield useful results given the high correlation with each other, with development status and region. A regression model including selected country-specific variables was able to explain 90% of the variability of the maternal mortality estimates. Among all country-specific variables selected for the analysis, three had the strongest relationships with maternal mortality: proportion of deliveries assisted by a skilled birth attendant, infant mortality rate and health expenditure per capita. CONCLUSION: With the exception of developed countries, variability of national maternal mortality estimates is large even within subregions. It seems more appropriate to study such variation through differentials in other national and subnational characteristics. Other than region, study of country-specific variables suggests infant mortality rate, skilled birth attendant at delivery and health expenditure per capita are key variables to predict maternal mortality at national level.

Adult↗

Demonstrating programme impact on maternal mortality.

Reducing maternal mortality if one of the primary goals of safe mother hood programmes in developing countries. Maternal mortality is not, however, a feasible outcome indicator with which to judge the success of these programmes. This is due to an unfortunate combination of obstacles to measurement--some general to assessing the mortality impact of health programmes and some peculiar to estimating maternal mortality. There is a need to promote alternative views and measures of programme success, and alternative uses for information on maternal deaths.

Developing Countries↗

[A statistical study of the countermeasures to reduce the maternal mortality based on the relationship between the maternal mortality rate and perinatal mortality rate].

Although both the Japanese maternal mortality rate (MMR) and the perinatal mortality rate (PMR) have decreased remarkably in recent decades, the former is still high compared with other advanced countries. A statistical analysis on the relationship between the MMR and the PMR was performed to investigate this discrepancy. During the period of study, both rates fell by over 50 percent. There were definite statistical differences among the PMR for each prefecture but almost none among the MMR. The prefectures with high PMR remained generally high in the PMR and the prefectures with low PMR also remained low in the MMR. There was no significant correlation between the PMR and the MMR. Both maternal and perinatal deaths due to common causes decreased in number, and there were few regional differences concerning effective measures against them. The leading causes of maternal death which are irrelevant to perinatal death are emboli, bleeding, and some other rare medical complications. Emphasis should therefore be laid upon the early diagnosis and treatment of amniotic fluid embolism apart from measures against haemorrhage. Countermeasures for rare complications are also of great importance.

Embolism, Amniotic Fluid↗

[Maternal mortality and referral maternities in Morocco: how to (re)motivate professionals?].

The very high rates of maternal mortality and perinatal mortality, as well as the deficiencies and dysfunctions observed in maternity hospitals, which play the role of referential maternity wards, led the Moroccan Minister of Public Health to implement a project in order to improve the quality of care of parturient women and new-borns. This project included 8 provinces in the country. The strategy chosen was "the team approach to resolving health problems", which is a learning process which leads local teams to implement and evaluate projects they have developed themselves. This pedagogical approach, which is carried out over a period of more than a year, proved itself to be very motivating and mobilising for the professionals included, despite the obstacles that were encountered. It also contributed to creating a true team spirit. Most activities planned within these projects were carried out and many indicators improved.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

A community-based investigation of maternal mortality from obstetric haemorrhage in rural Zimbabwe. Maternal Mortality Study Group.

In the rural province Masvingo in Zimbabwe, 25% of maternal deaths were caused by obstetric haemorrhage, which had a cause specific maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 40 per 100,000 live births. Forty per cent of cases were due to a ruptured uterus, and 30% to an atonic uterus. Forty-two per cent were more than 35 years old and 44% para 5 or more. In spite of antenatal coverage for 85% of the women, 42% died outside any health facility. Fifty per cent of the women had had no intervention whatsoever before death from haemorrhage. The most important factor for prevention at community level is provision of emergency transport, which would have saved 50% of the women. Other non-health service factors contributing to the adverse outcome were found in actions of the patient herself or a traditional birth attendant. In the health services avoidable factors were identified in 58% of women. More effective antenatal attention to high risk factors, especially high age and parity, appropriate use of maternity waiting shelters, action programmes for management and haemorrhage at all levels, basic resources for resuscitation, improved surgical skills with supervision and available transport for referrals are all necessary parts of a programme to prevent maternal deaths from obstetric haemorrhage.

Adult↗

[Maternal mortality, its definition and assessment. Report of maternal mortality at the Bamberg Gynecologic Clinic 1963-1988].

During the period of observation from 1963-1988 (26 years) 16 maternal deaths during pregnancy, birth and post partum were registered among 59,681 births at the Departm. of Obstetr. and Gynaec. Bamberg. This corresponds to a maternal mortality ratio of 0.26%. Thirteen of the deaths were direct material deaths, three cases of death belong in the category of indirect deaths. In this timeframe 4,257 (7.13%) C-sections were done. The rate of C-sections has almost tripled during the last 26 years, increasing from 3.6% in 1963 to 10.1% in 1988. In 10 cases maternal death followed a C-section. Taking the complete period of observation into account, the mortality rate after C-section of 2.34% is about 20 times higher than the mortality risk after vaginal delivery. This heightened mortality risk after C-section is clearly diminishing. In the years 1973-1982 the C-section mortality rate was only 6 times higher than maternal deaths after vaginal deliveries.

Adolescent↗