The burden of severe maternal morbidity in contemporaneous Obstetrics

Abstract

Maternal health is deteriorating across the world due to multiple factors including increasing rates of obesity, chronic medical conditions such as chronic hypertension, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as advanced maternal age by the time of conception. These factors summed to the increasing cesarean delivery rate, lack of standardization of clinical practices, and inappropriate care during obstetrical urgencies are all major contributors to the rising rates of major obstetrical complications and maternal death. In recent years, national and international health care organizations have proposed new definitions of major maternal morbidity. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines “near maternal miss” (NMM) as the series of events leading from good health to a life-threatening complication associated with organ dysfunction or failure. Conversely, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in United States classify “severe maternal morbidity” (SMM) if a pregnancy is complicated by one or more of twenty five ICD-9 clinical complications/procedures associated with a high maternal mortality risk. Although, each organization uses a different approach, existing data indicate that diagnostic criteria used for the CDC or the WHO accurately predicts pregnancies complicated with a “true” life-threatening maternal complication. These definitions are essential to better understand the burden of the disease. Each hospital providing maternal health care should adopt the definition that better fits its own health care system and is urged to incorporate initiatives that can reduce preventable major maternal complications. A fundamental step to address this issue is the establishment of a standardized review or audit process conducted by a multidisciplinary team that assesses systematically cases of severe maternal morbidity and mortality, evaluates deficiencies of health care at the provider, institution, and system levels, and adopts programs to improve quality of care. Maternal warning systems, composed by a set of abnormal physiological parameters that alert the provider about the deterioration of the patient’s condition and prompt immediate bedside assessment, have shown to be effective in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. Of importance, it has been recently demonstrated that linking these warning systems to standardized evidence-based clinical guidelines that address the most common obstetrical clinical pathways provides further benefits to the patient’s care and improves outcomes. Despite the advances in the early detection and management of major maternal morbidity, there is a concise need of further research to standardize definitions at regional, national and international levels, validate the effectiveness of early warning systems in different clinical settings, improve long-term outcomes, and incorporate other preventive measures initiated even prior to conception to further decline the rates of serious maternal complications and death.