A Journey to Safe Motherhood in Pregnancy with Severe Cardiac Dysfunction- A Maternal Near Miss.

ABSTRACT

Worldwide about 287,000 maternal deaths occur every year, and significant variation exists between low/high/middle-income populations.[1] Maternal death has direct and indirect causes. Indirect maternal deaths result from conditions existing before maternity or recently developed not related to maternity, e.g. cardiovascular diseases, HIV/AIDS, anaemia, infections. World Health Organization (WHO) outlined it as a condition within which “a woman nearly died, however survived throughout pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, just by a chance or good hospital care.”[2] Heart conditions presently represent the most common reason behind indirect maternal obstetrics deaths. Pregnancy is related to substantial and progressive hemodynamic changes beginning early in maternity, reaching their peak at the end of 2nd trimester and remaining comparatively constant till child-birth. Major alterations in maternity include a 30 to 50 percent increase in blood volume and cardiac output and decreased blood pressure. In cardiac pregnant patients, these modifications might cause clinical decompensation, exposing these patients to probably life-threatening situations.[3] Here we represent a similar case of a maternal near miss due to severe cardiac dysfunction reported at 8 months amenorrhea.