Maternal mortality in Ontario from 1970 to 1980.

This review describes trends in maternal mortality in Ontario, Canada during 1970 to 1980 inclusive. There has been a significant decline in the total and direct deaths recorded. Anesthetic complications, hemorrhage, obstetric sepsis, and non-obstetric infections are now rare causes of maternal mortality. Toxemia and emboli remain major components of direct obstetric deaths. Collagen vascular disease, cardiac disease, pulmonary emboli, and cerebrovascular accidents are consistently found as causes of indirect maternal deaths.