Patient dies during C-section at Beth Israel Deaconess

By Carey Goldberg, Globe Staff

For the first time in more than 10 years, a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center patient has died while undergoing a Cesarean section, the hospital reported today.

The mother died on Friday, and the baby experienced complications but appears to be improving, Dr. Kenneth Sands, the hospital's senior vice president of health care quality, said in a brief statement.

"This sad and very rare event appears to relate to an unanticipated complication at the time the baby was delivered by Caesarian section," it read.

"We immediately launched an internal review and have reported to the Department of Public Health. This is obviously a very sad and distressing event for our staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who have not experienced a loss like this for over 10 years. We continue to extend our deepest sympathy to the family."

The risk of death from a Cesarean section is estimated at less than 1 in 2,500, according to information on the Beth Israel Deaconess website. That is significantly more than the roughly 1-in-10,000 risk of a vaginal birth, but still low enough that the operations are performed more and more often in the United States, now comprising nearly one-third of births.