ABSTRACT
Objective: to identify causes and risk factors of maternal mortality
Study design: retrospective study
Setting: obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit-II, Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad - Pakistan, from January 2006 to December 2007
Material and methods: the data were retrieved from hospital record to evaluate the causes and risk factors of maternal mortality in our setup
Results: the maternal mortality rate was 1122.86/100,000 births [69/6145]. The identifiable factors were haemorrhage and sepsis both in 28.98% cases followed by eclampsia in 21.74% cases. Majority [81.16%] of the cases was unbooked. Most [52.17%] women were of more than 35 years age and 56.52% women were grandmultiparous
Conclusion: obstetrical haemorrhage and sepsis are still major causes of maternal death. Most of these deaths are preventable by providing quality care and by developing effective health care infrastructure