Indirect Causes Of Maternal Death Research Articles

Maternal mortality in a major referral hospital, 1926 to 1980

This review describes the changes in the causes of maternal deaths in a major referral hospital over a span of 55 years. There has been a significant decline in direct maternal deaths from infection, hemorrhage, and toxemia. Continued vigilance is needed since 58% of direct obstetric deaths in our hospital during the last 30 years were considered to have been preventable. Heart disease and nonobstetric infection as indirect causes of maternal deaths have decreased also. Greater effort is necessary to identify those patients with conditions that predispose to indirect deaths and to provide appropriate contraception, sterilization, early pregnancy termination, or optimal multidisciplinary care in a referral hospital.

Valve replacement during pregnancy.

Case Studies1 November 1967Valve Replacement During PregnancyJ. WARREN HARTHORNE, M.D., F.A.C.P., MORTIMER J. BUCKLEY, M.D., JOHN W. GROVER, M.D., W. GERALD AUSTEN, M.D.J. WARREN HARTHORNE, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, MORTIMER J. BUCKLEY, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, JOHN W. GROVER, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, W. GERALD AUSTEN, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-67-5-1032 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptHeart disease remains the single greatest indirect cause of maternal death in the United States. From 1.2 to 3.7% of pregnant women suffer from heart disease in some form; of this number 78 to 95% of cases are rheumatic in origin (1). The purpose of the present report is to describe for the first time the successful insertion of a Starr-Edwards prosthesis during the first trimester of pregnancy in a patient with severe mitral valve disease and the subsequent management of an uneventful pregnancy.CASE REPORTA 35-year-old married woman (M. P.) had suffered rheumatic fever at age 6 and...