A 20-year (1989-2008) audit of maternal mortality in Damascus, Syria.

摘要

The global maternal mortality rate (MMR), estimated at 402 per 100 000 live births, equates to approximately half a million deaths annually, 99% of which occur in low-income countries [1]. In Syria, as in many other low-income countries, healthcare decision makers face major difficulties allocating limited resources because there is a lack of data on women at highest risk and a shortage of tools to monitor implemented plans [2].Hospital-based audits of maternal mortality are relatively easy to obtain and may reveal crucial data about communities served by these hospitals. The present study, one of a considerable number that have recently been conducted in low-income countries, aimed to describe the causes of maternal deaths at the Maternity and Obstetric University Teaching Hospital, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria, which is the largest tertiary women's hospital in Damascus.