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
| 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%) |
aSevere pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (212 MNM, 11 deaths), HELLP syndrom (Hemolysis Elevated Liver Enzymes Low Platelet count) (6 MNM, 1 death).
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).
cAblatio (34 MNM, 6 deaths), previa (5 MNM), accreta (6 MNM), coriocarcinoma (3 MNM).
dGestational age ≥ 28 weeks.
eSpontaneous (11 MNM, 2 deaths) and unsafe abortions (6 MNM, 2 deaths).
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).
gMolar pregnancy (3 MNM), hyperemesis (1 MNM).