Severe maternal morbidity and nearmiss due to postpartumhemorrhage in a national multicenter surveillance study

Objective: To assess the occurrence of severe maternal complications owing to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and its associated factors.Methods: A secondary analysis of data from a multicenter cross-sectional prospective surveillance study included 9555 cases of severe maternal morbidity at 27 centers in Brazil between July 2009 and June 2010. Complications of PPH, conditions of severity management, and sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics were assessed. Factors independently associated with severe maternal outcome (SMO) were identified usingmultiple regression analysis.Results: Overall, 1192 (12.5%) of the 9555women experienced complications owing to PPH (981 had potentially life-threatening conditions, 181 maternal near miss, and 30 had died). The SMO ratio was 2.6 per 1000 live births among women with PPH and 8.5 per 1000 live births among women with other complications. Women with PPH had a higher risk of blood transfusion and return to the operating theater than did those with complications from other causes. Maternal age, length of pregnancy, previous uterine scar, and cesarean deliverywere themain factors associatedwith an increased risk of SMO secondary to PPH.Conclusion: PPH frequently leads to severe maternal morbidity. A surveillance systemcan identify the main causes of morbidity and could help to improve care, especially among women identified as being at high risk of PPH. © 2014 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.