[Is maternal mortality today still a problem? (Results of the statistics for the federal state of Hamburg from 1968 to 1972) (author's transl)].

This is the fourth review on the maternal mortality and obstetrics in the federal state of Hamburg comprising, this time, the years 1968 to 1972. 70 cases of maternal mortality are described classified, and discussed. All cases of maternal death with a temporal relationship to pregnancy, labour and delivery and puerperium were analyzed individually. There were 70 maternal deaths in 113, 564 deliveries. 10 or 8.8/100,000 cases were due to embolism. 1 or 0.9/100,000 cases were due to amniotic fluid embolism. 10 or 8.8/100,000 cases were due to infection. 9 or 7.9/100,000 cases were due to hemorrhage. 8 or 7.0/100,000 cases were due to toxemia of pregnancy. 5 or 4.4/100,000 cases were due to criminal abortions. 1 or 0.9/100,000 cases were due to chorio-carcinoma and 26 or 23/100,000 cases were due to non-obstetric causes. Our experience over many years shows that maternal mortality, stillbirth and death during the first year of life should be considered an epidemiologic entity.