Causes and Circumstances Surrounding Mortalities in an Obstetrics and Gynecology Department; A Three Years Study From a Tertiary Care Hospital at Islamabad

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the frequency and clinical causes of deaths within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at a tertiary care hospital over a three-year period.

Methodology: This descriptive observational study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal Government Polyclinic (FGPC), Islamabad, from April 2020 to April 2023. A non-probability consecutive sampling technique and documented all mortalities among admitted patients of Obstetrics and Gynecology, while excluding those occurring elsewhere in the hospital. The data were analysed through SPSS version 21 and various descriptive statistics were employed to calculate frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation

Results: Over the study period, there were a total of 9,287 admissions. Among these, 7,275 admissions were due to obstetric reasons, while 2,012 admissions were related to gynecological conditions. During this time, there were 23 recorded deaths. Out of these, 19 were attributed to obstetric causes, and 4 resulted from various gynecological pathologies. The major causes of deaths included septic events (n=5; 21.73%), amniotic fluid embolism (n=4, 17.39%), and gynecological malignancies (n=4; 17.39%).

Conclusion: Fatal septic complications were predominantly observed in cases of Dai-induced abortions. These complications, along with hemorrhagic and hypertensive events, can be substantially prevented by improving obstetric care at the primary healthcare level for all women.