title: Puerperal sepsis: a preventable post-partum complication.
abstract: Patients with puerperal sepsis following delivery at Ife State Hospital (ISH) of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC) Ile-Ife over a 10-year period spanning January 1986 to December 1995 were reviewed. One hundred and forty-six patients were diagnosed as having puerperal sepsis and there were 8428 deliveries giving an incidence of 1.7%. The incidence was higher among the unbooked patients 71.2%. Predisposing factors were: anaemia in pregnancy, 69.2%; prolonged labour (labour lasting up to 12 h or more), 65.7%; frequent vaginal examinations in labour (more than five), 50.7%; premature rupture of membranes, 31.5%; and non-adherence to asepsis during delivery. The case mortality rate was 4.1%. Antenatal care and supervised hospital delivery should be encouraged in order to prevent or reduce this serious post-partum morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: F O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Dare
authors.forename: A U
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Bako
authors.forename: O C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Ezechi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011645:Puerperal Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*