Abstract
ABSTRACT
Keywords: maternal mortality; coronavirus; obstetric causes
INTRODUCTION: The maternal mortality becomes a public health problem since it is not only a singular fatality, but also a social one, as a result of the socioeconomic disparity across the country. Nowadays, the Pandemic of COVID 19 is another factor related to these fatalities, which deserves being highlighted. Considering these circumstances, the role of the Committees for the Prevention of Maternal Mortality is absolutely vital, since they seek to identify and establish ways to decrease these indexes. Furthermore, these entities work in an ethical, technical, and educational way inside each institution, analyzing the maternal deaths and identifying possible preventable outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study has the objective to analyze the rating of deaths in pregnant and puerperium women that happened between the years 2016 to 2021, and relating them to obstetric causes and their predictability. The database used for this analysis has been collected by the Maternal, Infant, and Fetal Mortality Committee (CMMIF) of the Hospital Júlia Kubitschek (HJK). It also includes an analysis of the impact of the COVID 19 infection on maternal deaths in the period from 2020 to 2021. METHODOLOGY: The study was carried out in a cross-sectional method, using the database of the CMMIF service of the HJK, which serves high-risk prenatal care. All the data are part of the analysis of the medical records of patients who were being attended at the service. RESULTS: In the time frame from the year 2016 to 2021, it investigated 13 deaths in pregnant and postpartum women. The number of deaths in this population was found to increase, with 3 deaths in 2016, 3 in 2018, 2 in 2019, and 5 deaths by July 2021. Among these, 8 were considered direct obstetric causes and 5, indirect causes. Of the total number of deaths in 2021, 4 were due to Covid-19 infection. Of the total number of deaths, 3 were considered unavoidable; the others had some avoidable criterion, either through primary or tertiary care. CONCLUSION: Despite the fact that complications in deliveries and puerperium are not predictable, maternal mortality indicators are sensitive to quality obstetric care, demonstrating how numerous causes of maternal mortality are preventable. Therefore, it is essential to identify the reasons that influenced the occurrence of these deaths, with planning to avoiding recurrences. This has become even more evident after the emergence of the Coronavirus pandemic, in such a way as to expand the actions aimed at collective and individual care.