KUMJ | VOL. 1 | NO. 3 | ISSUE 3 | JULY-SEPT, 2003

“Brought Dead” - cases of maternal mortality
Padhye SM, Lakhey B


Abstract:
Seven cases that were brought dead on the way to the hospital in 2057 BS (2000-2001 AD) have been presented in
this study. Among seven, two cases were young primiparas, one was a grand multipara and four were between ages
20 – 25 years. Of these, one had post abortion complications, two were complicated by non-delivery and four had
third stage complications. The information that the patient was dead on arrival to the hospital was received by the
attendants in all cases with shock and disbelief so that it was very difficult to take proper history. An important
point noted by this study was that only four maternal deaths occurred in the hospital and were recorded in the
hospital statistics in that year, so that the number of deaths that occurred in transit to the hospital and were
technically excluded from the hospital statistics exceeded the number of maternal deaths recorded in the hospital
statistics. Another interesting point was that none of the seven women who expired on the way to the hospital were
living at a distance greater than 15 Km from the hospital and yet had not attended antenatal clinic, implying that
inadequate use of health services even in areas with relatively easy access to proper heath care is a major contributor
to maternal death.

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