Retrospective analysis of causes of death in severe PIH, Preeclampsia & Eclampsia cases in a tertiary medical care centre from January 2015 to December 2016

Abstract

: PIH, preeclampsia and eclampsia cases are one of the leading cause of maternal death especially in underdeveloped countries. Substandard maternity care is thought to be the reason behind it. Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy is a multi-organ involving disease of unknown etiology. Early detection, timely intervention, strict vigilance and intensive monitoring is needed to prevent maternal mortality and morbidity.: Our aim was to detect the cause of death among pregnant women admitted with hypertensive disorders so that measures can be taken to improve the maternity service.: It was a Retrospective analytical study of causes of maternal death among hypertensive disorders in pregnancy cases admitted in our institution from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016.Data were collected from case sheets, death certificates and review report on maternal death cases and were analysed and presented. It was found that pulmonary oedema was the most common (75%) cause of maternal death in PIH cases. Improper antepartum care and delay in seeking medical help, moreover, lack of proper utilization of maternity services was the main cause behind the high maternal mortality in PIH cases (89.6%).: Substandard maternity care was found to be responsible for so high maternal death in PIH cases. This result was similar to the other studies in this context. These deaths are preventable to a large extent.