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Table 3 Causes of maternal near-miss (MNM) and death at a university hospital and a regional hospital in Tanzania between February and June 2012

From: Maternal near-miss and death and their association with caesarean section complications: a cross-sectional study at a university hospital and a regional hospital in Tanzania

 

University hospital

Regional hospital

 

Cause of MNM or death

MNM

Death

MNM

Death

Total

(n = 326)

(n = 48)

(n = 141)

(n = 29)

(n = 544)

Hypertensive disordersa

127

4

91

8

230 (42%)

Postpartum haemorrhage

48

5

13

3

69 (13%)

Other obstetric causesb

31

18

3

8

60 (11%)

Placenta complicationsc

46

5

2

1

54 (9.9%)

Ruptured uterus

26

0

7

2

35 (6.4%)

Extrauterine pregnancy

14

0

14

1

29 (5.3%)

Obstetric infectionsd

12

6

2

2

22 (4.0%)

Abortions < 28 weekse

11

3

6

1

21 (3.9%)

Indirect causesf

8

7

2

3

20 (3.7%)

Other causes < 28 weeksg

3

0

1

0

4 (0.74%)

  1. aSevere pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (212 MNM, 11 deaths), HELLP syndrom (Hemolysis Elevated Liver Enzymes Low Platelet count) (6 MNM, 1 death).
  2. bIatrogenic complications (9 MNM, 5 deaths), anaemia (12 MNM, 4 deaths), peripartum cardiomyopathy (9 MNM, 9 deaths), intra-abdominal haemorrhage after CS (2 MNM, 2 deaths), thrombo-embolic events (3 deaths), intoxication by herbs taken by woman to augment labour (2 deaths), coagulopathy due to intra-uterine fetal death (1 MNM, 1 death), renal failure (1 MNM).
  3. cAblatio (34 MNM, 6 deaths), previa (5 MNM), accreta (6 MNM), coriocarcinoma (3 MNM).
  4. dGestational age ≥ 28 weeks.
  5. eSpontaneous (11 MNM, 2 deaths) and unsafe abortions (6 MNM, 2 deaths).
  6. fHIV (3 MNM, 7 deaths), non-obstetric infections (2 MNM, 1 death), malaria (2 MNM), cholecystitis (1 MNM), asthma (1 death), sickle cell anaemia (1 MNM), epilepsy (1 MNM), intracranial lesion (1 death).
  7. gMolar pregnancy (3 MNM), hyperemesis (1 MNM).