title: Confidential enquiries into maternal mortality in the United Arab Emirates: a feasibility study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Routine confidential enquiry into maternal deaths is not yet part of the United Arab Emirates health care system. A confidential enquiry into maternal deaths was undertaken to test the feasibility of this approach and to identify the causes and preventability of maternal deaths.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on all maternal deaths over a six year period from 1998 to 2003 were abstracted and reviewed by a panel of experts to assign the cause if in doubt, and to determine whether the deaths were preventable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over the six year period, 26 deaths were identified with 122,075 births and the maternal mortality ratio was 21.2/100,000 live births. The mean maternal age at death was 32.3 years and two-thirds of the deaths occurred during the postpartum period. The leading causes of death were thromboembolic events, hemorrhage and infection. After reviewing the clinical data the expert panel concluded that one third of the deaths were avoidable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This first ever confidential enquiry has shown that it is feasible to adopt this approach in the United Arab Emirates and the causes identified would be of help in prioritizing clinical guidelines development and training programs aimed at professionals, which will ultimately lead to safer motherhood for women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tawam Hospital, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Saad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghazal-Aswad
authors.forename: Padmanabhan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Badrinath
authors.forename: Islam
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sidky
authors.forename: Yousef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abdul-Razak
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davison
authors.forename: Hisham M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Mirghani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D006473:Postpartum Hemorrhage / Q000401:mortality; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D014479:United Arab Emirates / Q000453:epidemiology