Morbilidad y mortalidad materna en San Carlos, Cojedes-Venezuela. 2001-2008

The objective of this study was to learn about maternal morbidity and mortality in the San Carlos municipality, Cojedes Sate, Venezuela, in order to determine the health status of the population from that state. A descriptive and retrospective study of maternal morbidity and mortality of patients who visited the "Dr. Egor Nucete" Hospital in San Carlos, Venezuela, during 2001-2008. Data was processed and analyzed using relative frequencies, and comparisons were done with parametric tests in a quantitative scale. A total of 23.228 patients visited that hospital, which is 28% of the hospital discharge rate. The average age was 22.6 years, with predominance of female adolescents. There were 24.530 live births. 76.9 % of the cases were spontaneous deliveries, with an average time of hospital stay of 1.3 days, and 2.4 days for patients undergoing C-sections. Adolescent pregnancies predominated (22.1%) as cause of consultation, followed by miscarriages (19.6%). The maternal mortality rate was of 114. 1/100.000 live births, and 85 % of deaths occurred in the first 48 hours after admission. Conclusion: maternal morbidity and mortality follow a similar pattern to that of the rest of the country and of other South American populations, This information will be useful for the strengthening of health services