Trends in maternal mortality from 2011 to 2020 at the Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital in Ouagadougou.

Abstract

Introduction: Maternal mortality remains a public health problem. The objective of this work was to study the evolutionary trends of maternal mortality in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Yalgado Ouedraogo Teatching Hospital from 2011 to 2020. Patients and methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection. It concerned cases of maternal deaths that occurred in the obstetrics department over a period of 10 years, from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2020. A review of death cases was carried out to identify the contributing factors to the occurrence of cases of maternal deaths.  Results: The overall maternal mortality ratio was 2265 per 100,000 NV with a peak in 2017 and 2020. The majority of death cases (60.01%) occurred postpartum. Death occurred in more than half of the cases within 24 hours of patient admission. The causes of death were mainly direct obstetrics (68.66%) which were dominated by bleeding. The evolution of the various direct obstetric causes has been uneven over the years. The obstetric lethality rate varied between 2.90% and 4.90% with an average of 3.71%. Several factors have contributed to maternal deaths, including delay in consultation, delay in treatment, delay in evacuation and insufficient follow-up of pregnancy.  Conclusion: Continuous efforts for the prevention of obstetric complications and the reduction of their lethality are to be deployed. An in-depth review of the causes and factors associated with the occurrence of maternal deaths would help guide control strategies.