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Maternal Morbidity and Mortality.
The Council has an informal agreement with the London County Council
for the admission of cases of puerperal pyrexia and puerperal fever to the
North Western Hospital, Hampstead. Alternatively, admission can usually be
obtained at Queen Charlotte's Hospital (Isolation Block), Shepherd's Bush.
During the year nine cases of puerperal pyrexia and three cases of
puerperal fever were notified. Three of these were admitted to Queen
Charlotte's Hospital, three to Hillingdon County Hospital, Hillingdon, while
five cases occurred in Hillingdon County Hospital and one in St. Mary's Hospital,
Paddington.
There were four maternal deaths during the year in connection with
childbirth. One was from sepsis after abortion of a three months' pregnancy;
two were from rupture of the womb in patients who were both 44 years of age;
and the fourth was from haemorrhage due to placenta praevia. All four deaths
occurred in hospital; two in Hillingdon, one in St. George's Hospital and one
in Charing Cross Hospital.
All cases of puerperal pyrexia and of puerperal fever notified in the
district are investigated by the Health Department. In the case of a death,
the confidential information so obtained is communicated to the Ministry of
Health for their collation with similar information obtained from other areas.
It is hoped that in this way further light will be thrown on the problems of
maternal morbidity and mortality, thus helping their solution.
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