Maternal mortality

1. Big picture

Maternal mortality is one of the most important indicators of obstetric care quality. It measures deaths caused by pregnancy, childbirth, or puerperium and reflects whether dangerous complications are recognized and treated early.

For the state exam, the examiner wants you to think like this:

Pregnant/postpartum woman deteriorates
        ↓
Mother first: Airway, Breathing, Circulation
        ↓
Identify the main killer:
hemorrhage / hypertensive crisis / sepsis / thromboembolism / embolism / uterine rupture / anesthesia complication
        ↓
Resuscitate + treat cause + deliver if needed
        ↓
Prevent recurrence and review the case

The key oral-exam sentence:

Most maternal deaths are preventable if obstetric emergencies are recognized early, resuscitation is started immediately, and definitive treatment is not delayed.

WHO defines maternal death as death during pregnancy or within 42 days after termination of pregnancy from causes related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management, excluding accidental or incidental causes. ([World Health Organization][1])

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