Maternal deaths--a ten-year study
Chatterjee, A.; Gupta, J.K.; Mahapatra, A.; Chakraborty, T.
Journal of the Indian Medical Association 91(3): 56-59
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5847 PMID: 8350000 Document Number: 420499
In a 10-year retrospective study of maternal deaths at RG Kar Medical College, Calcutta there were 651 maternal deaths with 410 in first 5-year period and 241 in second 5-year period. The leading causes of deaths were due to abortion, toxaemia, haemorrhage (antepartum and postpartum) and jaundice in pregnancy. Direct causes were responsible for death in 77.6% cases, indirect causes in 17.5% cases and unrelated causes in 4.9% cases. Majority (557) were unbooked and mostly multigravida (434) cases. Most of them (251) were in the age group of 20-25 years. Haemorrhage was the single most common cause to claim 188 lives. It was also noted that 155 deaths occurred within 12 hours of hospital admission.