Severe Maternal Morbidity Events Research Articles

ASPECTOS SOCIODEMOGRÁFICOS E OBSTÉTRICOS DA MORBIDADE MATERNA GRAVE

Objective: Identify sociodemographic, obstetric and health aspects of women who experienced severe maternal morbidity in a tertiary care hospital. Method: A descriptive study, cross-sectional and hospital-based involving 78 women. Data collection was carried out through structured interviews and review of medical records and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: 24.4% of participants were pregnant and 75.6% were in the postpartum period, the average age was 28.8 years. 35.9% were primiparous and primary diagnoses were hypertensive disorders, 83.3% and 16.7% other morbidities. It is noteworthy that 15.4% of participants met more than one criterion during the time of admission and 73.0% had six or more prenatal consultations. Conclusion: Hypertensive syndromes were the first causes of severe maternal morbidity, and prenatal care provided was highlighted. The results provide implications for the funding of mechanisms to assist women who have suffered from severe maternal morbidity events associated with obstetric and sociodemographic aspects. There is a need to characterize and monitor severe maternal morbidity in obstetric care to develop actions to promote and improve the health care provided to these women. Knowledge of the mains diagnosis presented by women with severe maternal morbidity are important for the practice of nurses working in this area, because it allows for the implementation of changes in the care model for women and their families, with a view to the attainment of safe motherhood in our country.

Impact of fertility treatment on severe maternal morbidity

To determine if fertility treatment is associated with increased risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) compared with spontaneous pregnancies. Retrospective cohort study. Academic medical center. In 2012, 6,543 women delivered live births >20weeks gestation at our center. Women were categorized based on mode of conception: invitro fertilization (IVF), non-IVF fertility treatment (NIFT), or spontaneous pregnancies. None. The main outcome was presence of true SMM, such as eclampsia, respiratory failure, and peripartum hysterectomy. Deliveries were screened with the use of: 1) International Classification of Diseases 9 codes; 2) prolonged postpartum stay; 3) maternal intensive care unit admissions, and 4) blood transfusion. The charts of women meeting the screening criteria were reviewed to identify true SMM based on a previously validated method, recognizing that medical record review is the criterion standard. Of the 6,543 deliveries, 246 (3.8%) were IVF conceptions and 109 (1.7%) NIFT conceptions. Sixty-nine cases of true SMM were identified (1.1%). In multivariate analyses, any fertility treatment (IVF + NIFT) was associated with increased risk of SMM compared with spontaneous conceptions. In a subset analysis of singletons only, the association between any fertility treatment (IVF + NIFT) and SMM was not statistically significant. Overall, fertility treatment increased risk for SMM events. Given the limited sample size, the negative finding with singleton gestations is inconclusive. Larger multicenter studies with accurate documentation of fertility treatment and SMM cases are needed to further clarify the risk associated with singletons.

A cohort study of functioning and disability among women after severe maternal morbidity.

To assess functioning and disability related to severe maternal morbidity (SMM) via the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). In a retrospective cohort study, women with or without a history of SMM who delivered at a tertiary public hospital in Brazil between July 2008 and June 2012, completed the WHODAS 2.0 questionnaire by individual interview between August 2012 and November 2013. General WHODAS scores were evaluated by maternal and neonatal characteristics, and specific domain scores according to SMM event. Overall, 638 women were enrolled (315 with SMM and 323 without SMM). The mean general WHODAS score was higher among women with SMM (19.04±16.18) than among women without SMM (15.77±14.46; P=0.015). Domain scores were also higher in the SMM group for mobility (16.00±20.22 vs 11.63±17.51; P=0.003), household activities (26.79±30.16 vs 20.09±26.08; P=0.005), participation (23.55±21.72 vs 17.27±19.17; P<0.001), and work/school activities for women currently studying or working (20.52±26.64 vs 11.66±19.67; P=0.001). Excluding SMM, a parity of two or more was the only factor significantly associated with higher scores overall (P=0.013) and for domain 4 (getting along with people; P=0.017). By comparison with women without childbirth complications, SMM impaired self-reported functioning among women 1-5years after delivery.