Maternal deaths up to four times higher than previously believed
The Maternal Death Enquiry (MDE) report, released every three years, revealed the finding after examining deaths during childbirth in hospitals between 2009 and 2011.
CSO figures show during this period six women died. However, the MDE study — funded and backed by the HSE — said the true figure was as high as 25.
According to the MDE, which has a wider scope for maternal death examinations than the CSO, of the 25 fatalities, six were directly related to childbirth.
A further 13 died due to issues “indirectly” linked to labour while the remaining six deaths were blamed on “coincidental causes”.
If accurate, the rate of 25 is just over four times higher than the CSO’s official “pregnancy, childbirth or puerperium [the days immediately after labour]” records.
When the third part of the MDE’s figures is taken out of the equation, the new rate is twice as high as the CSO level — representing an eight in 100,000 person risk of death compared to the current four out of 100,000 position.
Of the six deaths said by the MDE to be directly linked to childbirth, three were due to a pulmonary embolism /blockage, along with one from an amniotic fluid embolism, one from a uterine rupture and one due to multiple organ failure.
The 13 indirect deaths included five cardiovascular disease issues, two swine flu deaths, two epilepsy cases, two from chronic pulmonary disease, one from excessive bleeding and, tragically, two reported suicides.
In three of the six “coincidental” deaths, women lost their lives to cancer, two died from substance abuse, and one died in a traffic accident.
While the difference between the official and HSE-backed figures is of concern, Ireland statistically continues to be one of the safest places in the world to give birth.
