Maternal Mortality at a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India: A 4 Year Review Mittal Pratima1, Kapoor Garima2,*, Bajaj Bindu3 1Consultant & HOD, Obs. & Gynae., VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi 2Associate Professor, Obs. & Gynae., VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi 3Consultant & Associate Professor, Obs. & Gynae., VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi *Corresponding Author: Dr Garima Kapoor, Associate Professor, Obs. & Gynae. VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, Email: garimak79@yahoo.co.in
Online published on 19 August, 2019. Abstract Worldwide, almost half a million maternal deaths occur every year. Most of these deaths (99%) occur in developing countries. South Asian countries which includes India. Most maternal deaths are preventable as the medical interventions necessary to treat or prevent complications are well established. Even then, the progress made in maternal health so far is unsatisfactory. This study was conducted to determine the causes and epidemiological factors that lead to maternal deaths at a Tertiary care hospital in North India, and henceforth, suggest measures to reduce maternal mortality in the region. It was a retrospective study. The female deaths at the Institution which met the WHO Criteria for Maternal Death during the year 2013–2016, were analyzed for epidemiological factors and causes of maternal deaths. During the study period there were 364 maternal deaths. Maternal mortality ratio in the study period was 358.73, 273.30, 371.45 and 436.61 in the year 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively. Majority of the women who died (73.07%) were in the age group of 21–30 yrs. Most of the women (70.32%) were multipara (56.59%) and grand-multipara (13.73%). Most of the women were un-booked(88.46%). Direct causes still contributed to majorly of maternal deaths [hypertensive disorders (28.02%), pregnancy related infections (20.87%), and hemorrhage (12.36%)]. Among indirect causes, anemia and hepatitis were most common (15.93% & 11.53%, respectively). Promoting good quality antenatal care for all, universal iron supplementation, strengthening the infrastructure of peripheral Health facilities and forming a referral network are some of the measures that may help reduce maternal mortality. Top Keywords Maternal mortality review, retrospective study, tertiary care hospital, North India. Top |