Obstetric Hemorrhage, its role in maternal morbidity and mortality and the importance of its diagnosis, prevention and timely management

Abstract

Background: In recent years, different international and national campaigns have been implemented to combat obstetric haemorrhage. Maternal mortality (MM) is one of the main concerns of public health and represents a good indicator to measure the quality of care, an indicator that also allows to establish the socioeconomic differences between countries. There are still many activities to be carried out and achieve the objective set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Latin American Federation of Societies in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (FLASOG) "Zero deaths due to haemorrhage". Objective: Based on the scientific evidence available, deepen the knowledge of the role of obstetric haemorrhage as the main avoidable cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Methodology: retrospective study through the search of original articles and systematic reviews in: Elsevier, Lancet, Intramed, PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect and Cochrane Library. The following keywords were used for all sites: "Obstetric haemorrhage", "Maternal mortality and obstetric haemorrhage", "Maternal morbidity and obstetric haemorrhage", "Postpartum, late, secondary haemorrhage". The items with the highest level of evidence were selected. Conclusions: Obstetric haemorrhage is still a potential cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Its appearance at any time of pregnancy is a cause for concern and alarm. Despite advances in obstetric and anesthetic care, its treatment remains a challenge for the surgical team, anesthesiologist, gynaecologist and Pediatrician.