Anaesthesia | Obstetrics | Recognizing the Sick Mother

Recognizing the Sick Mother
Session Overview
Description
This session looks at potentially fatal medical issues that are particular to the pregnant patient, management plans for these conditions, obstetric early warning scores and national statistical data.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• List the common causes of maternal morbidity and mortality
• Assess the sick mother and recognize possible causes for her illness
• Describe the key features of appropriate management plans for causes of maternal morbidity and mortality

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should complete:

• 04a_01_01 Physiological Changes During Pregnancy

Pregnant women still die during pregnancy but there have been huge improvements in mortality rates over last few decades. Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK 2009 to 2012) replaced the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CEMACE) to report every year on maternal mortality.

In the first report in 1952 to 1954, the mortality level recorded was 90 per 100k maternities. Since then, deaths have reduced significantly to 10 per 100k. Reports are now published annually and a report on each cause of death is published every 3 years [1](read details regarding the reference).

Clinicians need to be aware that many pregnancy-related medical problems can be fatal if not recognized and treated promptly. This session takes an overview of this subject. Further detail on individual conditions can be found in specific sessions covering those conditions.