Maternal deaths: the need to rethink coping strategies

• Autor(a) principal: Áfio, Aline Cruz Esmeraldo
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Araujo, Maria Alix Leite, Rocha, Ana Fátima Braga, Andrade, Roumayne Fernandes Vieira, Melo, Simone Paes de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Rev Rene (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://periodicos.ufc.br/rene/article/view/4910
• topic: Maternal Mortality; Women’s Health; Epidemiological Surveillance.

This study aimed to analyze maternal deaths and present the Maternal Mortality Ratio in the city of Fortaleza, in the Northeast region of Brazil, from 2008-2010. This is a descriptive study. Data collection occurred in the Mortality Information System and in the maternal death investigation files of the Local Health Department. Fifty-six maternal deaths were investigated with a Maternal Mortality Ratio of 39.75/100,000 live births. The prevalent age group was 20-29 years (50.0%). Hypertensive disorders (50.0%) were the most prevalent causes of direct obstetric deaths. As for indirect obstetric deaths, infectious and parasitic diseases (28.1%) prevailed. Nearly all deaths were considered preventable or possibly preventable (91.1%). Thus, it can be assumed that most deaths could have been avoided by ensuring the quality of prenatal care.