The CAPS Study: Incidence, Management and Outcomes of Cardiac Arrest in Pregnancy in the UK: A Prospective, Descriptive Study

Abstract

(BJOG. 2017;124(9):1374–1381) It is estimated that cardiac arrest in pregnancy occurs in about 1 in 30,000 pregnancies, and it is crucial that rapid delivery for maternal benefit occur in these cases. Performing a perimortem cesarean section (PMCS) within 5 minutes of cardiac arrest minimizes the risk of maternal neurological damage from cerebral anoxia and emptying the uterus in maternal cardiac arrest can result in rapid improvement, with a return to spontaneous circulation and a chance of neonatal survival. However, there is a lack of prospective data to evaluate the timing of this intervention in practice and in relation to outcomes. The present study used the United Kingdom Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) to identify cases of cardiac arrest and details of associated PMCS in the United Kingdom from July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2014 in order to estimate the incidence of maternal cardiac arrest, describe the management of cardiac arrest during pregnancy, and report fetal outcome data.