Skip to main content

Maternal Mortality and Morbidity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook

Abstract

Maternal mortality and serious morbidity from obstetric anesthesia are rare. Although this is reassuring, important lessons can still be learned to continue to reduce the incidence toward zero. Moreover, changing demographics of the obstetric population are likely to challenge obstetric anesthesiologists to maintain the impressive safety record they have attained. Assisted reproductive technologies have allowed older women and those with major coexisting disease to bear children. Obesity is increasing to epidemic levels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Cooper GM, McClure JH. Anaesthesia chapter from Saving Mothers’ Lives; reviewing maternal deaths to make pregnancy safer. Br J Anaesth. 2008;100:17–22.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Hawkins JL, Koonin LM, Palmer SK, Gibbs CP. Anesthesia-related deaths during obstetric delivery in the United States, 1979–1990. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 1997;52:408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Hawkins JL, Chang J, Palmer SK, Callaghan WM, Gibbs CP. Anesthesia-related maternal mortality in the United States, 1997–2002 (abstract). Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology, Abstracts of the 40th Annual Meeting 2008:A-10.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Mhyre JM, Riesner MN, Polley LS, Naughton NN. A series of anesthesia-related maternal deaths in Michigan, 1985–2003. Anesthesiology. 2007;106:1096–1104.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Davies JM, Posner KL, Lee LA, Cheney FW, Domino KB. Liability associated with obstetric anesthesia: a closed claims analysis. Anesthesiology. 2009;110:131–139.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Merrill RB, Hingson RA. Study of incidence of maternal mortality from aspiration of vomitus during anesthesia occurring in major obstetric hospitals in United States. Curr Res Anesth Analg. 1951;30:121–135.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Clark SL, Belfort MA, Dildy GA, Herbst MA, Meyers JA, Hankins GD. Maternal death in the 21st century: causes, prevention, and relationship to cesarean delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008;199:36.e1–36.e5, discussion 91–2. e7–11.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chadwick HS, Posner K, Caplan RA, Ward RJ, Cheney FW. A comparison of obstetric and nonobstetric anesthesia malpractice claims. Anesthesiology. 1991;74:242–249.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Arendt KW, Segal S. Present and emerging strategies for reducing anesthesia-related maternal morbidity and mortality. Curr Opin Anesthesiol. 2009;22(3):330–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Lewis G, ed. The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health [CEMACH]. Saving Mothers’ Lives: reviewing maternal deaths to make motherhood safer 2003–2005. The Seventh Report on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom. London: CEMACH; 2007.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sanjay Datta .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Datta, S., Kodali, B.S., Segal, S. (2010). Maternal Mortality and Morbidity. In: Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-88602-2_19

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-88602-2_19

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-88601-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-88602-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics