Thursday, February 21, 2013

Maternal Death . . . 3 Orphaned . . .

Yesterday, we had a maternal death. 

Not much to write about. Considering the previous death, this one was fast. 

We did not get much time to do anything. 

Because, she died within 15 minutes of arriving at the hospital. 

She was pale as paper and it was an obvious rupture uterus. Usually, we don't get many cases of rupture uterus who dies. Most probably, she was severely anaemic even before the rupture happened. 

The interesting thing about her. She did not have an intravenous line put on even though she had been to 3 hospitals. When we asked about the same to the relative . . . it was difficult to believe the reply. 'The patient's body is too swollen to put an intravenous line'. 

She had got couple of intramuscular injections throughout the day. Her contractions had started at 3 AM same day morning. Since, it was her fifth delivery, (3 children alive and one still birth), the family had decided to attempt a home delivery. 

Since nothing was happening, they took her to a hospital at around 9 AM. 

She reached at NJH a full 12 hours after that. 

The case sheet reads . . . Time of arrival: 9:30 pm, Time of death: 9:45 pm. 

There was no point in resuscitating as she was pale like paper. And there was no way we could get blood so fast. 

2nd maternal death of the month (February 2013) after a maternal death free month in January 2013. 

Last week, we were forced to tabulate the number of maternal deaths in 2012. Below are the numbers and the causes . . . 

Nos. of maternal deaths in 2012 (Jan-Dec)
CAUSE OF DEATH
Nos. of maternal deaths in 2011  (Jan-Dec)
27 deaths
Total deliveries: 1544
LSCS: 482

18
Eclampsia /Pre-eclampsia
11
  24 deaths
  Total deliveries: 1280
  LSCS: 439

0
Septic abortions
3
1
IUD
3
1
Unknown
2
0
Valvular heart disease
1
0
Obstructed Labour
1
1
Rupture Uterus
1
5
Sepsis
1
1
Malaria
1
0
Severe anemia
0

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