Abstract

Background: Maternal morbidity is a quality of care indicator. The frequency of severe maternal morbidity that requires an intensive care management has increased, due to an increase in maternal age. Aim: To describe the severe and acute maternal morbidity spectrum that requires an intensive care management in a University Hospital. Material and Methods: Review of medical records of 89 pregnant women with a mean age of 29 years, admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (UCI) between 2006 and 2010. Results: Mean gestational age on admission was 32 weeks. The main comorbidities identified were chronic hypertension (13.5%), hypothyroidism (4.5%) and coagulopathies (6.7%). Severe preeclampsia, sepsis and obstetric hemorrhage were the main causes of admission. Length of stay ranged from 1 to 28 days. Seventy eight percent of patients were admitted in the immediate postnatal period. Mechanical ventilation was required in 24% of patients for a median of three days. The longer unit lengths of stay were observed in patients with preeclampsia and non-obstetric severe sepsis (pyelonephritis and pneumonia). Seven abortions and seven perinatal deaths were recorded. The latter were mainly secondary to severe preeclampsia/HELLP syndrome. Neonatal morbidity was related to prematurity (19% hyaline membrane, 18% persistent ductus and 4% cerebral hemorrhage). There were no maternal deaths. Conclusions: Preeclampsia and its complications were the main causes of maternal ICU admission. In this series, there were no maternal deaths and the perinatal survival rate was 92%.