Abstract
Objective: In Ethiopia very little or probably nothing is known about the significance of obstetric emergencies. This study was therefore aimed at assessing magnitude, characteristics, and outcomes of obstetric emergencies in western Ethiopia.Study Design: Institution based prospective cohort study was employed from January to June 2017. To select the hospitals, area sampling technique was used. Total of 567 pregnant women with obstetric emergencies presented and treated in respective hospitals during the study periods and met the inclusion criteria were consecutively included.Results: Majority (91.7%) of the identified obstetric emergencies have led to termination of pregnancy. Significant proportions of pregnant women (11%) who reached health facility died of obstetric emergencies. Pregnant women with obstetric emergencies traveled to facility carried by people were found to have died about 8 times more likely as compared to those who were transported by ambulance. While 29.21% of women gave birth to normal life births, stillbirth and neonatal death were 8.02% and 7.4% respectively. Higher number of neonatal death was also observed among mothers in whom final mode of delivery was a cesarean section (AOR: 0.19(0.05, 0.62)) compared to spontaneous vaginal delivery.Conclusion: This study has revealed that obstetric emergencies are responsible for the significant number of maternal and perinatal death. If the women have been accessed early and received optimum emergency care, many cases of the occurred death would have been prevented. Better outcome can be achieved through maximum utilization of quality and comprehensive antenatal care and organized pre-hospital obstetric emergency services.
Highlights
Obstetric emergencies are one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in our globe
Significant proportions of pregnant women (11%) who reached health facility died of obstetric emergencies
Pregnant women with obstetric emergencies traveled to facility carried by people were found to have died about 8 times more likely as compared to those who were transported by ambulance
Summary
Obstetric emergencies are one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in our globe. World Health Organization estimates that maternal mortality varies up to 100-fold, from 10 in wealthier countries to about 1,000 in underdeveloped nations. Despite tremendous efforts made to reduce death that could arise in relation to pregnancy and childbirth, maternal death still remains a significant problem in many developing countries [1]. Sub Saharan African countries share the highest maternal death rate in the world. About 500 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births representing over half of the total world maternal deaths occur [2]. In Ethiopia maternal and neonatal mortality rates are extremely in the highest in the world. The 2011 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey revealed that the maternal death rate was 676 deaths per 100,000 live births and neonatal mortality was 37 deaths per 1,000 live births. For every 1,000 live births, about seven women died during pregnancy, childbirth, or within two months of childbirth [3,4]
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