ABSTRACT
Background: Population based mortality data are scarce especially in developing countries including Nigeria. Despite its limitations; hospital mortality analysis assesses the quality of health-care delivery and provides a proximate measure of mortality. We reviewed the magnitude and causes of death among in-patients in a tertiary hospital in northern Nigeria. Methods: Analysis of mortality rate and causes of death for the period 20052008 (inclusive) in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Causes of death were prospectively entered on a database and classified according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Results: Out of 51;975 patients admitted to the hospital; 4;029 of them died. This gives a mortality rate of 7.8(95Confidence Interval of 7.5to 8.0). Specifically; of the 15;484 males admitted; 2;361 died giving a mortality rate of 15.2while of the 36;491 females admitted; 1;668 died giving a mortality rate of 4.6. The median age for all patients that died was 32.4 years (range: less than 1 day to 101 years); but 36.1 years (range: less than 1 day to 101 years) for the male and 29.3 (range: less than 1 day to 87 years) for the female subsets. The ten most common causes of mortality were HIV/AIDS (8.3); Septicaemia (6.8); cerebrovascular disease (6.3); chronic renal failure (3.9) chronic liver disease (3.3); diabetes mellitus (3.2); neonatal jaundice (2.9); severe birth asphyxia (2.6); prematurity (2.5) and bronchopneumonia (2.4). Conclusion: The mortality rate and causes of death are comparable to similar centres. Regular mortality audits could identify management errors and prevent recurrence of avoidable deaths