Changing perspectives of infectious causes of maternal mortality

This study is a retrospective review of maternal death cases that occurred in the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India between January 2003 and December 2012. This tertiary-level teaching hospital caters to the large local population of Vellore and adjoining districts. A considerable number of women with high-risk pregnancy are referred to this center for advanced care during pregnancy and delivery from the whole of southern India and beyond. It is a privately owned faith-based institute where mostly lower-middle-class population is treated and a fair proportion (20%-30%) of patients is treated without cost for charity.