Table 4.
Contributory factors for each cause of maternal death
| Cause of maternal death | No of cases (N = 55) | Total no. of contributory factors present for that cause of death* | Potentially avoidable deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Direct deaths (42%) |
23 |
22 |
14 |
| Hypertension (Eclampsia) |
5 |
16 |
3 |
|
Haemorrhage |
10 |
17 |
|
| APH |
1 |
9 |
0 |
| Vagina/cervix trauma |
2 |
11 |
2 |
| Bleeding during or after C-section |
2 |
11 |
1 |
| Ectopic haemorrhage |
1 |
8 |
1 |
| Non-traumatic haemorrhage |
2 |
8 |
0 |
| Uterine trauma |
2 |
8 |
2 |
|
Pregnancy related sepsis |
3 |
9 |
|
| Chorioamnionitis |
1 |
7 |
Unknown |
| Puerperal sepsis after NVD |
1 |
4 |
1 |
| Septic miscarriage |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
General anaesthetic |
2 |
6 |
2 |
|
Pulmonary embolus |
2 |
8 |
2 |
|
Acute collapse |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Death at home – cause unknown |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Total Indirect deaths (58%) |
32 |
24 |
12 |
|
HIV |
19 |
21 |
7 |
| Pneumonia |
3 |
12 |
2 |
| TB |
2 |
11 |
0 |
| Meningitis |
3 |
14 |
0 |
| GI tract |
3 |
13 |
3 |
| Complications of ARVs (including one with IRIS**) |
4 |
15 |
2 |
| Other (multiple organ systems) |
4 |
9 |
0 |
|
Medical –Surgical |
13 |
20 |
5 |
| Cardiac |
7 |
17 |
1 |
| Endocrine/metabolic |
3 |
12 |
3 |
| Other adverse effects of treatment | 3 | 5 | 1 |
**IRIS immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.
*Each contributory factor is only counted once for each group so the number of factors for each category is not the sum of the individual cases.