Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mothers are the nurturing pillar of the family. When a woman dies or becomes ill, either during or after giving birth, the consequences have the potential to affect not only the woman herself, but her family, society and the nation as well. OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to evaluate the maternal mortality ratio in a tertiary care hospital, assess the demographic profile, causes of maternal mortality, type of delay, and to suggest remedial measures for improvement. METHODS: A retrospective study was done from Jan 2013 to Dec 2016 at a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi. The medical records of all maternal deaths over a period of 4 years were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: The Maternal mortality ratio in the study period was 361.71/100,000 live births. The number of maternal death was 364. Unbooked cases accounted for the majority, i.e., 322, booked being 29 and registered 13. Two hundred and eleven cases were referred from other centers. Maximum deaths occurred between 21 and 30 years (73.07%). Anemia was widely prevalent. Most maternal deaths were due to direct causes like hypertensive disorders (28.02%), pregnancy-related infections (20.87%), and hemorrhage (12.36%). Among indirect causes, anemia, hepatitis, heart disease and respiratory illness accounted for 15.93, 11.53, 3.29 and 5.49%, respectively. Type I delay was most common (64.28%). CONCLUSION: Strengthening of the peripheral centers, hiring competent staffs and adequate blood bank facilities together with reference linkages must be done. Auditing the causes for maternal mortality is extremely helpful to identify the preventable causes and delays.