Postpartum Hemorrhage: Incidence, Causes and Maternal Outcomes at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania—A Retrospective Descriptive Hospital-Based Study
Worldwide obstetric hemorrhage
remains the leading cause of maternal mortality, accounting for over one quarter of maternal deaths. Over half
of these deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa with mortality rates of 500 - 1000
per 100,000 births, compared to approximately 5 - 10 in developed countries. Over decades in Sub
Saharan Africa preventive measures and treatment protocols have been made to reduce maternal mortality caused by PPH. While
rates of postpartum hemorrhage have continued to rise, there is a need to
evaluate if its etiology and patterns have changed over time. Broad Objective: This study aims at describing trends in incidence, causes and maternal
outcomes of Postpartum Hemorrhage at Muhimbili National Hospital for a period
of 7 years. Methodology: This is a retrospective descriptive
hospital-based study that has included all cases of postpartum hemorrhage at Muhimbili
National Hospital, a tertiary hospital in Tanzania from 2014 to 2020. The data
was analyzed using SPSS Version 26 and presented using frequency tables, figures and percentages. The trends of
postpartum hemorrhage over time were determined using chi-square test
and P-value where less than 0.05 was
considered statistically significant. Results: Overall, the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage has been fluctuating over the years with minimum of 1.78%
and maximum of 2.87% with no statistical significance. Out of 1113 enrolled
cases of PPH, 422 (37.9%) were attributed to genital tears followed by uterine atony 285 (25.6%). A
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