A Five-year Review of Puerperal Sepsis and Its Complications at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, South-South Nigeria

Background: Puerperal sepsis is a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries, Nigeria inclusive. It complicates 1% – 8% of all deliveries, and is responsible for 15% of maternal deaths.

Objective: To determine the incidence of puerperal sepsis, and its associated complications at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, over a five-year period.

Materials and Methods: This retrospective survey was carried out between 1st January, 2016, and 31st December, 2020. Data were retrieved, entered into a pre-designed proforma, and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Results were presented in frequencies and percentages for categorical variables, and mean and standard deviation for continuous variables.

Results: A total of 66 women were managed for puerperal sepsis out of 4,571 obstetric patients seen in the five-year period under review. Most women were unbooked (81.8%), and were delivered at home/unorthodox faith-based delivery units by traditional birth attendants (75.8%). Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp were cultured in 54.8%, 12.9% and 12.9% of cases, respectively. There was no maternal mortality.

Conclusion: Puerperal sepsis remains an important public health problem in developing countries. While encouraging antenatal care and supervised hospital delivery is important for its primary prevention, early diagnosis, prompt and effective antibiotic and supportive therapy will prevent its complications.