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Maternal Deaths in Developed Countries: Epidemiology and Preventable Causes

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Principles and Practice of Maternal Critical Care

Abstract

Patterns of maternal mortality in the developed world changed dramatically over recent decades. Death from acute events such as obstetric hemorrhage decreased, while those from cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular medical complications increased. Addressing risk from chronic medical conditions that necessitate management throughout the continuum of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum remains critical to reducing the global maternal mortality. In this chapter, we review the epidemiology of maternal mortality in developed countries, focusing on risk factors and temporal trends for maternal mortality rates, followed by an overview of the preventability of death from the ten leading causes of maternal mortality.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Alexander M. Friedman

  2. Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Cande V. Ananth

  3. Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Cande V. Ananth

  4. Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Cande V. Ananth

  5. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Cande V. Ananth

Authors
  1. Alexander M. Friedman
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  2. Cande V. Ananth
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cande V. Ananth .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Intensive Care Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel

    Sharon Einav

  2. Division of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Carolyn F. Weiniger

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Ruth Landau

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Friedman, A.M., Ananth, C.V. (2020). Maternal Deaths in Developed Countries: Epidemiology and Preventable Causes. In: Einav, S., Weiniger, C.F., Landau, R. (eds) Principles and Practice of Maternal Critical Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43477-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43477-9_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-43476-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-43477-9

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