Abstract
There were 11 maternal deaths from ectopic pregnancy in the last report of the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths And Child Health, ranking ectopic pregnancy as the fourth leading cause of direct maternal deaths. In none of the reported cases was the diagnosis made before rupture of the ectopic pregnancy and six of these direct deaths had some form of substandard care. Faisal Basama, specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, describes his experience of a particular presentation of ectopic pregnancy.
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