Mortality and fatalities after cesarean section in West Berlin 1975 to 1989

From 1975 till 1989 246 621 deliveries were registered in West-Berlin, 29,257 of which were caesarean sections. 41 cases of maternal death appeared. 19 women succumbed after vaginal delivery, 22 after caesarean section. Thus, during the 15 years of observation, mortality after caesarean section was 0.75% (1 case of maternal death on 1330 caesarean sections), whereas lethality--death due to surgical or anesthetical complications--was 0.41% (1:2438). At the end of the 80ies lethality of caesarean section was three-fold higher than of vaginal delivery.