Maternal Near-Miss Obstetric Events and Maternal Mortality

Aim: To know about the prevalence, characteristic and nature of near miss events and to relate the nature of near miss events with that of maternal mortality. Study design: Descriptive cross sectional study Place and duration of study: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Unit IV, LUMHS Jamshoro from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020 Methodology: Pregnancy outcomes segregated into maternal death, near-miss event, or live birth categories. Age, level of education, religion, and residence were socio demographic variables. Obstetrics characteristics and nature of maternal near-miss events also studied. Result: The prevalence of maternal near-miss event was 5.6%, and the maternal near-miss events were seen more in multigravida, pregnant women with the lack of antenatal care in referral cases. Live birth as fetal outcome was 75%. The maternal death to near-miss ratio in this study was 1:5. 44 (42.3%) postpartum haemorrhage and 28 (26.9%), hypertensive disorders cases were leading cause of maternal near-miss events. Conclusion: Every fifth women who survived life-threatening complications, one died. Maternal near-miss should be adopted as an indicator for evaluating maternal health services.