An Insight into Maternal Deaths: A Retrospective Analysis and Pathologists Perspective in Series of 16 Autopsy Cases
ER01-ER05
Correspondence
Vaishali A Walke,
65C, Shree Gajanan Apartment, Gajanan Nagar, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail: drvaishaliw@yahoo.com
Introduction: Maternal mortality continues to be of great concern with most maternal deaths occurring in developing countries which accounts for about one in 180 deaths during childbirth as compared to 1 in 4,900 in developed nations.
Aim: To determine the common causes of maternal deaths and to study their clinicopathological profile.
Materials and Methods: The present study included series of 16 cases of maternal deaths from January 2018 to June 2020. The study was conducted at Indira Gandhi Medical College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. The post mortem examination in all these deaths was conducted as per institutional policy. The external, in-situ examination along with histological findings are studied in each case.
Results: The study group comprised of 16 cases, in the range of 21 to 37 years with a mean age of 27 years. Seven deaths antepartum, 2 intrapartum while seven postpartum period and all the deliveries took place in hospital. Amongst these 16 deaths, 11 were brought dead while in rest five, deaths were hospital based.
Conclusion: The autopsy provides an invaluable information and insights about pathophysiological changes and sequence of events leading to death. Usefulness of relevant clinical data in complementing the diagnosis cannot be overemphasized. Their in-depth analysis can certainly help to prevent future maternal deaths and also in early picking up of complications; which further can avoid this preventable and inevitable loss and reduces the national burden on maternal mortality