Patient characteristics and clinical management of women who died during or after caesarean section in Sierra Leone in 2016
| Age | |
| Median (IQR), n=99 | 27 (20–32) |
| 15–19 | 14 (14%) |
| 20–24 | 24 (24%) |
| 25–34 | 44 (44%) |
| ≥35 | 17 (17%) |
| Gravidity | |
| Median (IQR), n=97 | 3 (1–5) |
| 1 | 25 (26%) |
| 2–5 | 56 (58%) |
| ≥6 | 16 (16%) |
| Parity | |
| Median (IQR), n=96 | 2 (0–4) |
| 0 | 25 (26%) |
| 1–4 | 56 (58%) |
| ≥5 | 15 (16%) |
| Number of antenatal care visits | |
| Median (IQR), n=56 | 3 (2–3) |
| 0 | 6 (11%) |
| 1 | 4 (7%) |
| 2–3 | 36 (64%) |
| ≥4 | 10 (18%) |
| Referred from | |
| Home | 39 (43%) |
| Peripheral health unit | 51 (56%) |
| Other hospital | 2 (2%) |
| Unknown | 7 (7%) |
| Preoperative haemoglobin level | |
| Median (IQR), g/L, n=49 | 90 (74–105) |
| Indication for caesarean section* | |
| Obstructed labour | 42 (42%) |
| Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia | 25 (25%) |
| Haemorrhage | 22 (22%) |
| Placental abruption | 10 (10%) |
| Malpresentation | 9 (9%) |
| Twins/triplets | 7 (7%) |
| Uterine rupture | 7 (7%) |
| Previous CS | 6 (6%) |
| Type of surgical provider | |
| Medical officer | 53 (55%) |
| Surgical training programme student | 13 (13%) |
| Surgical assistant community health officer | 11 (11%) |
| Specialist obstetrician | 8 (8%) |
| House officer | 7 (7%) |
| Other associate clinician | 5 (5%) |
| Unknown | 2 (2%) |
| Time from admission to start of operation | |
| Median (IQR), hours, n=84 | 5.8 (2.0–21.3) |
| Operation length | |
| Median (IQR), min, n=67 | 49 (33 – 69) |
| Additional procedures registered | |
| Hysterectomy | 14 (14%) |
| B-Lynch procedure | 3 (3%) |
| Blood transfusion | |
| Patients transfused (proportion), n=99 | 74 (75%) |
| Number of units transfused | |
| Median (IQR), n=93 | 1 (1–2) |
| Type of anaesthesia | |
| General | 72 (75%) |
| Spinal | 19 (20%) |
| Spinal and general | 5 (5%) |
| Unknown | 3 (3%) |
*Multiple indications given for some patients; indications with ≤5 occurrences excluded; percentages may add up to above 100% due to rounding or patients appearing in multiple categories.
CS, caesarean section.