Abstract
Background: Maternal mortality remains a significant worldwide health concern, with 95% of all maternal fatalities occurring in low and lower-middle-income nations. The maternal mortality rate(MMR) in low-income countries in 2020 was reported to be 430 per 100,000 live births versus 12 per 100,000 in high-income countries. Somalia possesses one of the most elevated rates of maternal mortality globally, where women confront a lifetime risk of maternal death estimated at 1 in 22. This study aims to analyse maternal mortality cases within a tertiary care hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, the study aims to identify prevailing trends, underlying causes, and key risk factors.
Methods: The study employed a retrospective research design to review maternal death case files and extract relevant information for analysis. The study was carried out at the Mogadishu Somali Türkiye Training and Research Hospital, a tertiary care facility in Mogadishu, Somalia. A total of 73 maternal death case files were included in the study. The inclusion criteria involved selecting cases with complete documentation and information relevant to the study objectives.
Results: The demographic data revealed that most maternal deaths occurred among women aged 25 to 29, the trend analysis demonstrated fluctuations in maternal deaths over the five years. The analysis of the data reveals that postpartum haemorrhage(PPH) is the leading cause of maternal deaths, accounting for 35% of the cases, followed by eclampsia (19%), CVA (cerebrovascular accident) (16%), HELLP syndrome(11%). Anaemia was also one of the leading indirect causes of maternal deaths. Regarding pregnancy outcomes, live births accounted for 69% (n=50) of the total pregnancies. 22(31%) of the pregnancies resulted in bad outcomes, stillbirth 10(14%), predelivery deaths 8(11%), spontaneous abortion 2(3%), ectopic(1%) and induced abortion 1(1%).
In conclusion, this research contributes valuable insights into maternal deaths and the factors associated with the outcome of birth among mothers who died. The findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions to address leading causes of maternal deaths, improve access to quality prenatal care, and ensure timely delivery.