Revista de Gravidez e Saúde Infantil

Abstrato

The Problem of Indirect Causes of Maternal Mortality

Manuel Antonio Diaz de Leon Ponce, Briones Garduno Jesus Carlos and Moreno Santillan Armando Alberto

Introduction: Maternal mortality remains as a major Public Health challenge. About 800 women die from pregnancy related complications around the world every day. In 2013, 289 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths (99%) occur in developing countries, and most could have been prevented. In Mexico there are still a significant number of deaths that are not properly registered as maternal deaths, so in the present study we analyze the causes and classification of maternal deaths occurred in six Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in Mexico in the period 1973 - 2013.

Material and methods: We realized a retrospective analysis of all maternal deaths during a forty year period (1973–2013) occurred in six Mexican Intensive Care Units (ICUs). We also review the diagnostic criteria, previous diseases; pregnancy related risk factors, state of hospitalization, length of stay, number of co-morbid conditions, adverse events and type of organic failure.

Results: We identified during the last 40 years 7735 maternal deaths (maternal mortality ratio of 7.2% per year). From the total deaths, 6723 were direct causes and 1012 were indirect causes. In the 75% of the total indirect causes the patients received prenatal control in the first level of attention, and were referred to the third level of attention only when the mortal complication was an essentially untreatable.