RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Determination of the maternal mortality ratio and the main causes of maternal death. SETTING: Pelonomi Hospital, a tertiary care and referral hospital in Bloemfontein. METHODS: Review of prospectively completed structured questionnaires on all maternal deaths from 1986 to 1992. RESULTS: The maternal mortality ratio at our institution was 171 per 100 000 live births. Haemorrhage (25%), infection (24%) and hypertensive disease (18%) were the most important causes of death. Seventy-one per cent were direct obstetric deaths and 23% indirect; in the remaining 6%, the cause was uncertain. Of all deaths, 35% were considered preventable. CONCLUSIONS: The maternal mortality ratio has decreased since our previous report for the period 1980-1985, and haemorrhage has replaced infection as the leading cause of death.
