Septic induced abortion claiming life of a Nepalese woman

This is a case report of septic induced abortion done at 16 weeks of gestation outside Kathmandu valley who presented to the emergency department of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) with peritonitis and septic shock. The case underwent emergency laparotomy and was treated surgically for perforated ileum and uterus by resection and end to end anastomosis of bowel and subtotal hysterectomy. The patient died after 16 hours of operation due to multiple organ failure (MOF) as a sequelae of septic shock. Unsafe abortion remains one of the major causes of maternal mortality in Nepal. Increasing public awareness about hazards of septic abortion and the provisions of law and decentralizing the trained manpower throughout the country would play a pivotal role in decreasing the incidence of septic induced abortion.