Maternal Near-Miss in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Prospective Study From North India

Background: Maternal near-miss is defined as a ‘woman who nearly died but survived a complication during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy’. A sudden and unexpected event during pregnancy, childbirth, or even after delivery, is a risk that is faced by every pregnant woman. Aim:This study aimed to establish the incidence of maternal near-misses, and to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile and causes of maternal near-miss. Materials and Methods: This was an observational prospective study, conducted in Lalla Ded Hospital for a period of 18 months after obtaining ethical clearance. Women who fulfilled any of the WHO criteria for MNM were included in the study as maternal near-miss cases. Results: The hospital witnessed 36,273 live births over the period of the study, of which 821 involved a near-miss. This equates to a MNM incidence ratio of 22.63 per 1000 live births. The mortality index in our study was 3.97%, and the near-miss to mortality ratio was 24.14:1. Haemorrhage was the leading cause of MNM (N=429 or 2.25%), followed by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (N=280 or 34.10%). Anaemia was the most common associated factor and was present in 460 (56.03%)patients. Conclusion: Early identification of risk factors for placenta accreta spectrum, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, medical disorders complicating pregnancy, anaemia, previous Caesarean section, and multifoetal pregnancy, among others, and thereby prompt management of such conditions, plays a critical role in the optimal management of MNM.