Trends in maternal mortality at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana, between 1998 and 2007

摘要

Studying trends in maternal deaths could help redirect efforts to tackle the prevailing dominant causes of these deaths in local settings. The aim of the present study was to determine the trends in maternal mortality at KATH over a 10-year period and the specific causes of death.A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using maternal mortality and delivery records for the period 1998-2007 from the obstetrics and gynecology directorate of KATH. The information collected (using simple data format) included age, parity at time of admission, and the single main underlying cause of death (not necessarily the immediate cause of death). The causes of maternal death were subsequently classified according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) [4] into direct and indirect maternal deaths. To improve the accuracy of data, information from various sources was cross-checked and relevant corrections were made.