Road to maternal death: the pooled estimate of maternal near-miss, its primary causes and determinants in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Maternal near-miss (MNM) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) working group as a woman who nearly died but survived a life-threatening condition during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy due to getting quality of care or by chance. Despite the importance of the near-miss concept in enhancing quality of care and maternal health, evidence regarding the prevalence of MNM, its primary causes and its determinants in Africa is sparse; hence, this study aimed to address these gaps. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published up to October 31, 2023, was conducted. Electronic databases (PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Directory of Open Access Journals), Google, and Google Scholar were used to search for relevant studies. Studies from any African country that reported the magnitude and/or determinants of MNM using WHO criteria were included. The data were extracted using a Microsoft Excel 2013 spreadsheet and analysed by STATA version 16. Pooled estimates were performed using a random-effects model with the DerSimonian Laired method. The I2 test was used to analyze the heterogeneity of the included studies. RESULTS: Sixty-five studies with 968,555 participants were included. The weighted pooled prevalence of MNM in Africa was 73.64/1000 live births (95% CI: 69.17, 78.11). A high prevalence was found in the Eastern and Western African regions: 114.81/1000 live births (95% CI: 104.94, 123.59) and 78.34/1000 live births (95% CI: 67.23, 89.46), respectively. Severe postpartum hemorrhage and severe hypertension were the leading causes of MNM, accounting for 36.15% (95% CI: 31.32, 40.99) and 27.2% (95% CI: 23.95, 31.09), respectively. Being a rural resident, having a low monthly income, long distance to a health facility, not attending formal education, not receiving ANC, experiencing delays in health service, having a previous history of caesarean section, and having pre-existing medical conditions were found to increase the risk of MNM. CONCLUSION: The pooled prevalence of MNM was high in Africa, especially in the eastern and western regions. There were significant variations in the prevalence of MNM across regions and study periods. Strengthening universal access to education and maternal health services, working together to tackle all three delays through community education and awareness campaigns, improving access to transportation and road infrastructure, and improving the quality of care provided at service delivery points are key to reducing MNM, ultimately improving and ensuring maternal health equity.

Lifetime risk of maternal near miss morbidity: a novel indicator of maternal health.

BACKGROUND: The lifetime risk of maternal death quantifies the probability that a 15-year-old girl will die of a maternal cause in her reproductive lifetime. Its intuitive appeal means it is a widely used summary measure for advocacy and international comparisons of maternal health. However, relative to mortality, women are at an even higher risk of experiencing life-threatening maternal morbidity called 'maternal near miss' (MNM) events-complications so severe that women almost die. As maternal mortality continues to decline, health indicators that include information on both fatal and non-fatal maternal outcomes are required. METHODS: We propose a novel measure-the lifetime risk of MNM-to estimate the cumulative risk that a 15-year-old girl will experience a MNM in her reproductive lifetime, accounting for mortality between the ages 15 and 49 years. We apply the method to the case of Namibia (2019) using estimates of fertility and survival from the United Nations World Population Prospects along with nationally representative data on the MNM ratio. RESULTS: We estimate a lifetime risk of MNM in Namibia in 2019 of between 1 in 40 and 1 in 35 when age-disaggregated MNM data are used, and 1 in 38 when a summary estimate for ages 15-49 years is used. This compares to a lifetime risk of maternal death of 1 in 142 and yields a lifetime risk of severe maternal outcome (MNM or death) of 1 in 30. CONCLUSIONS: The lifetime risk of MNM is an urgently needed indicator of maternal morbidity because existing measures (the MNM ratio or rate) do not capture the cumulative risk over the reproductive life course, accounting for fertility and mortality levels.

The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease: A near miss disaster.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread postponement and cancelation of elective vascular surgeries in Switzerland. The consequences of these decisions are poorly understood. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this observational, retrospective, single-center cohort study, we describe the impact of COVID-19 pandemic containment strategies on patients with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) referred during the period March 11, to May 11, 2020, compared to the same time frames in 2018 to 2019. Patients admitted for acute limb ischemia (ALI) or chronic PAD and undergoing urgent or elective vascular surgery or primary amputation were included. Patients' characteristics, indications for admission, and surgical features were analyzed. The occurrence of 30 day outcomes was assessed, including length of stay, rates of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major adverse limb events (MALE), and procedural and hemodynamic success. RESULTS: Overall, 166 patients were included. Fewer subjects per 10 day period were operated in 2020 compared to, 2018 to 2019 (6.7 vs. 10.5, respectively; P < 0.001). The former had higher rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (25% vs. 11.1%; P = 0.029), and ASA score (3.13 vs. 2.90; P = 0.015). The percentage of patients with ALI in 2020 was about double that of the same period in 2018 to 2019 (47.5% vs. 24.6%; P = 0.006). Overall, the types of surgery were similar between 2020 and 2018 to 2019, while palliative care and primary amputations occurred only in 2020 (5 out 40 cases). The rate of post-operative MACE was significantly higher in 2020 (10% vs. 2.4%; P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: During the first state of emergency for COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, less regular medical follow-up and hindered hospital access could have resulted in more acute and advanced clinical presentations of patients with PAD undergoing surgery. Guidelines are needed to provide appropriate care to this vulnerable population and avoid a large-scale disaster.

Maternal near miss: reaching the last mile.

Maternal mortality misses the morbidity associated with pregnancy and delivery. Maternal Near Miss is an alternate measure that reflects maternal morbidity and in areas with low maternal mortality improves comparability. Maternal Near Miss is a proxy indicator of the quality of healthcare services and helps in understanding health system failures with relation to obstetric care and addressing them. But regional variations in availability of resources have led to a dozen different adapted versions of WHO Maternal Near Miss criteria. This creates confusion and reduces comparability, nationally and internationally. A review of articles defining maternal near miss was conducted using a PubMed search to compare and assess the various definitions of MNM. The present article summarises the available criteria and discusses the advantages and drawbacks of WHO MNM criteria as compared to others. The objective is to impress the need to have comprehensive criteria that can be applied in different settings and ensure comparability.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? Many different definitions and criteria to diagnose Maternal Near Miss are available. They are diverse, thereby reducing comparability both nationally and internationally.What do the results of this study add? This article summarises the differences in the available definitions and classifying criteria. It also highlights the difficulty in usage of the criteria in different settings.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This calls for researchers working in areas of maternal health to further simplify the definitions and criteria used for identification of Maternal Near Miss to improve comparability and uniformity.

A Radiation Oncology-Specific Automated Trigger Indicator Tool for High-Risk, Near-Miss Safety Events.

PURPOSE: Error detection in radiation oncology relies heavily on voluntary reporting, and many adverse events and near misses likely go undetected. Trigger tools use existing data in patient charts to identify otherwise-unaccounted-for events and have been successfully employed in other areas of medicine. We developed an automated radiation oncology-specific trigger tool and validated it against near-miss data from a high-volume incident learning system (ILS). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty triggers were derived from an electronic radiation oncology information system. Data from the systems over an approximately 3.5-year period were split randomly into training and test sets. The probability of a high-grade (grade 3-4) near miss for each treatment course in the training set was estimated using a regularized logistic regression model. The predictive model was applied to the test set. Records for 25 flagged treatment courses with an ILS entry were reviewed to explore the association between triggers and near misses, and 25 flagged courses without an ILS entry were reviewed to detect unreported near misses. RESULTS: Of the 3159 treatment courses analyzed, 357 had a grade 3 to 4 ILS entry; 2210 courses composed the training set, and the test set had 949 courses. Areas under the curve on the training and test sets were 0.650 and 0.652, respectively. Of 20 triggers, 9 reached statistical significance on univariate analysis. Fifty percent of the 25 treatment courses in the test set with the highest predicted likelihood of a high-grade near miss with an ILS entry had a direct relationship between the triggers and the near miss. Review of the 25 treatment courses with the highest predicted likelihood of high-grade near miss without an ILS entry found 2 unreported near-miss events. CONCLUSIONS: The radiation oncology-specific automated trigger tool performed modestly and identified additional treatment courses with near-miss events. Radiation oncology trigger tools deserve further exploration.

Validity of WHO's near-miss approach in a high maternal mortality setting.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity of WHO's near-miss approach in a low-resource, high maternal mortality setting. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, the main referral hospital of Zanzibar, Tanzania, from 1 April 2017 until 31 December 2018. POPULATION: All women, pregnant or until 42 days after the end of pregnancy, admitted at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, the tertiary referral hospital in Zanzibar. METHODS: Cases of maternal morbidity and mortality were evaluated according to WHO's near-miss approach. The approach's performance was determined by calculating its accuracy through sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative likelihood ratios. The approach's validity was assessed with Pearson's correlation coefficient between the number of organ dysfunction markers and risk of mortality. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Correlation between number of organ dysfunction markers and risk of mortality, sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: 26,842 women were included. There were 335 with a severe maternal outcome: 256 maternal near-miss cases and 79 maternal deaths. No signs of organ dysfunction were documented in only 4 of the 79 cases of maternal death. The number of organ dysfunction markers was highly correlated to the risk of mortality with Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.89. CONCLUSIONS: WHO's near-miss approach adequately identifies women at high risk of maternal mortality in Zanzibar's referral hospital. There is a strong correlation between the number of markers of organ dysfunction and mortality risk.

Applicability of WHO Maternal Severity Score (MSS) and Maternal Severity Index (MSI) Model to predict the maternal outcome in near miss obstetric patients: a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the applicability of WHO Maternal Severity Score (MSS) and Maternal Severity Index (MSI) Model in near miss (NM) obstetric patients METHODS: It was a prospective observational study conducted at a tertiary health care center from July 2015 to Feb 2016. All patients fulfilling one or more WHO NM criteria were included. MSS and MSI were calculated for all NM patients on admission. They were then followed up till the final outcome (NM or death). Each NM parameter, system-wise MSS, total MSS and MSI were then associated with the final outcome. RESULTS: Of 4822 patients, 1739 had potentially life-threatening conditions of which 174 were identified as NM. The average MSS and MSI of patients who remained NM was 4.41 and 11.67%, respectively, and those who died was 9.47 and 58.16%, respectively. Both were found to be significantly associated with the outcome (p < 0.001). MSI had good accuracy for maternal death prediction in women with markers of organ dysfunction (AUROC - 0.838 [95% CI 0.766-0.910]). However, of 25 NM criteria, only 17 NM criteria and 3 system dysfunctions (cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological) were found to associate significantly with the outcome. CONCLUSION: MSS and MSI act as good prognostic tools to assess the severity of maternal complications and estimate the probability of death in NM patients. As all NM parameters are not equally predictive of severity of maternal morbidity, different scores per NM parameter and system should be assigned while calculating MSS for better prognostication.

Applicability of the WHO maternal near miss tool in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Applicability of the World Health Organization (WHO) maternal near miss criteria in low-income settings is not systematically addressed in the literature. The objective of this review was to determine the applicability of the WHO maternal near miss tool in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Popline, CINAHL, AJOL, and Google scholar using key words for maternal near miss and sub-Saharan Africa. Studies which applied the WHO maternal near miss criteria, containing clear definitions, and published between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2017 were included. Two authors independently extracted data. Quantitative analysis and narrative synthesis were conducted, and medians with interquartile range (IQR) were calculated for summarizing the findings. Methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Estabrook's quality assessment and validity tool. RESULTS: Fifteen studies from nine countries comprising 227,077 participants were included. Median maternal near miss ratio was 24.2 (IQR: 12.4-35.8) per 1000 live births ranging from 4.4 in a population-based study in South Africa to 198 in a rural private hospital in Nigeria. Eight studies reported challenges in implementing the WHO maternal near miss tool, especially related to the threshold for blood transfusion, and availability of several laboratory-based criteria. In three studies, local adaptations were made. CONCLUSION: This review showed that the WHO maternal near miss tool is not uniformly applied in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, a common adaptation for the region is required to increase its applicability.

Contributing factors to outpatient pharmacy near miss errors: a Malaysian prospective multi-center study.

Background Detecting errors before medication dispensed or 'near misses' is a crucial step to combat the incidence of dispensing error. Despite this, no published evidence available in Malaysia relating to these issues. Objective To determine the incidence of medication labeling and filling errors, frequency of each type of the errors and frequency of the contributing factors at the final stage before dispensing. Setting Six Penang public funded hospitals outpatient pharmacies. Methods A prospective multicentre study, over 8 week's period. Pharmacists identified and recorded the details of either medication labeling and/or filling error at the final stage of counter-checking before dispensing. Besides, the contributing factors for each error were determined and recorded in data collection form. Descriptive analysis was used to explain the study data. Main outcome measure The incidence of near misses. Results A total of 187 errors (near misses) detected, with 59.4% (n = 111) were medication filling errors and 40.6% (n = 76) were labeling errors. Wrong drug (n = 44, 39.6%) was identified as the highest type of filling errors while incorrect dose (n = 34, 44.7%) was identified as the highest type of labeling errors. Distracted and interrupted work environment was reported to lead the highest labeling and filling errors, followed by lack of knowledge and skills for filling errors and high workload for labeling errors. Conclusion The occurrence of near misses related to medication filling and labelling errors is substantial at outpatient pharmacy in Penang public funded hospitals. Further research is warranted to evaluate the intervention strategies needed to reduce the near misses.

Severe maternal outcomes in eastern Ethiopia: Application of the adapted maternal near miss tool.

BACKGROUND: With the reduction of maternal mortality, maternal near miss (MNM) has been used as a complementary indicator of maternal health. The objective of this study was to assess the frequency of MNM in eastern Ethiopia using an adapted sub-Saharan Africa MNM tool and compare its applicability with the original WHO MNM tool. METHODS: We applied the sub-Saharan Africa and WHO MNM criteria to 1054 women admitted with potentially life-threatening conditions (including 28 deaths) in Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital and Jugel Hospital between January 2016 and April 2017. Discharge records were examined to identify deaths or women who developed MNM according to the sub-Saharan or WHO criteria. We calculated and compared MNM and severe maternal outcome ratios. Mortality index (ratio of maternal deaths to SMO) was calculated as indicator of quality of care. RESULTS: The sub-Saharan Africa criteria identified 594 cases of MNM and all the 28 deaths while the WHO criteria identified 128 cases of MNM and 26 deaths. There were 7404 livebirths during the same period. This gives MNM ratios of 80 versus 17 per 1000 live births for the adapted and original WHO criteria. Mortality index was 4.5% and 16.9% in the adapted and WHO criteria respectively. The major difference between the two criteria can be attributed to eclampsia, sepsis and differences in the threshold for transfusion of blood. CONCLUSION: The sub-Saharan Africa criteria identified all the MNM cases identified by the WHO criteria and all the maternal deaths. Applying the WHO criteria alone will cause under reporting of MNM cases (including maternal deaths) in this low-resource setting. The mortality index of 4.5% among women who fulfilled the adapted MNM criteria justifies labeling these women as having 'life-threatening conditions'.

[Early neonatal near miss identified through health information systems]. / Near miss neonatal precoce identificado com base em sistemas de informação em saúde.

The aim of this study was to validate a definition to identify cases of early neonatal near miss using data from health information systems (SIS in Portuguese). This was a concurrent validation study focusing on three definitions for identification of cases of early neonatal near miss among live births in a university hospital in 2012. Three different definitions were applied to this live birth cohort using the criteria birth weight, gestational age, 5-minute Apgar score, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation, and congenital malformations, in different combinations, considering the proposals in two Brazilian articles (Silva et al.; Pillegi-Castro et al.) and a third (SIS definition) with available data from health information systems. Cases were defined as infants that had survived the risk conditions as of the 7th day of life. For concurrent validation, the study adopted early neonatal deaths as the reference. Of the 2,097 live births studied, 33 died in the early neonatal period, and the number of cases of early neonatal near miss varied according to the definition used: 153 (Silva definition), 194 (Pileggi-Castro definition), and 304 (SIS definition). Sensitivity and specificity were 97% and 92.6%, respectively, according to the Silva definition, 90.9% and 90.6% according to the Pileggi-Castro definition, and 93.9% and 85.3% according to the SIS definition. The results show that the SIS definition has sensitivity and specificity close to the other definitions and suggest that it is possible to monitor early neonatal near miss using only data that are available in official health information systems.

O objetivo foi validar uma definição de identificação de casos de near miss neonatal precoce utilizando dados dos sistemas de informação em saúde (SIS). Estudo de validação concorrente entre três definições para identificação de casos de near miss neonatal precoce, realizado em hospital universitário com nascidos vivos ocorridos em 2012. Foram aplicadas três definições a esta coorte de nascidos vivos com utilização dos critérios peso ao nascer, idade gestacional, Índice de Apgar no 5º minuto de vida, internação em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva neonatal, ventilação mecânica e más-formações congênitas com diferentes combinações, considerando as proposições de dois artigos brasileiros publicados (definição Silva et al.; definição Pillegi-Castro et al.) e uma terceira (definição SIS) com dados disponíveis em Sistemas de Informação em Saúde. Foram considerados casos os sobreviventes às condições de risco até o 7º dia de vida. Para a validação concorrente, adotaram-se como referência os óbitos neonatais precoces. Dos 2.097 nascidos vivos estudados, 33 foram a óbito no período neonatal precoce, e o número de casos de near miss neonatal precoce variou segundo a definição adotada: 153 (definição Silva), 194 (definição Pileggi-Castro) e 304 (definição SIS). A sensibilidade e especificidade foi, respectivamente, 97% e 92,6% na definição Silva, 90,9% e 90,6% na definição Pileggi-Castro e 93,9% e 85,3% na definição SIS. Os resultados mostram que a definição SIS apresenta sensibilidade e especificidade próxima às outras definições e sugere que é possível monitorar o near miss neonatal precoce com uso apenas de dados disponíveis nos sistemas oficiais de informações em saúde.

El objetivo fue validar una definición de identificación de casos de near miss neonatales precoces, utilizando datos de los sistemas de información en salud (SIS). Se trata de un estudio de validación concurrente entre tres definiciones para la identificación de casos de near miss neonatales precoces, realizado en un hospital universitario, con nacidos vivos que se produjeron en 2012. Se aplicaron tres definiciones a esta cohorte de nacidos vivos con la utilización de los criterios: peso al nacer, edad gestacional, índice de Apgar en el 5º minuto de vida, internamiento en la Unidad de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal, ventilación mecánica, además de malformaciones congénitas con diferentes combinaciones, considerando las propuestas de dos artículos brasileños publicados (definición Silva et al.; definición Pillegi-Castro et al.) y una tercera (definición SIS) con datos disponibles en el Sistema de Información en Salud. Se consideraron casos los supervivientes en condiciones de riesgo hasta el 7º día de vida. Para la validación concurrente, se adoptaron como referencia los óbitos neonatales precoces. De los 2.097 nacidos vivos estudiados, 33 fueron óbito durante el período neonatal precoz, y el número de casos de near miss neonatal precoz varió según la definición adoptada: 153 (definición Silva), 194 (definición Pileggi-Castro) y 304 (definición SIS). La sensibilidad y especificidad fue, respectivamente, 97% y 92,6% en la definición Silva, 90,9% y 90,6% en la definición Pileggi-Castro y 93,9% y 85,3% en la definición SIS. Los resultados muestran que la definición SIS presenta sensibilidad y especificidad próxima a las otras definiciones y sugiere que es posible monitorear el near miss neonatal precoz sólo con el uso de datos disponibles en los Sistemas oficiales de Información en Salud.

Near miss neonatal precoce identificado com base em sistemas de informação em saúde / Early neonatal near miss identified through health information systems / Near miss neonatal precoz identificado según el sistema de información en salud

O objetivo foi validar uma definição de identificação de casos de near miss neonatal precoce utilizando dados dos sistemas de informação em saúde (SIS). Estudo de validação concorrente entre três definições para identificação de casos de near miss neonatal precoce, realizado em hospital universitário com nascidos vivos ocorridos em 2012. Foram aplicadas três definições a esta coorte de nascidos vivos com utilização dos critérios peso ao nascer, idade gestacional, Índice de Apgar no 5º minuto de vida, internação em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva neonatal, ventilação mecânica e más-formações congênitas com diferentes combinações, considerando as proposições de dois artigos brasileiros publicados (definição Silva et al.; definição Pillegi-Castro et al.) e uma terceira (definição SIS) com dados disponíveis em Sistemas de Informação em Saúde. Foram considerados casos os sobreviventes às condições de risco até o 7º dia de vida. Para a validação concorrente, adotaram-se como referência os óbitos neonatais precoces. Dos 2.097 nascidos vivos estudados, 33 foram a óbito no período neonatal precoce, e o número de casos de near miss neonatal precoce variou segundo a definição adotada: 153 (definição Silva), 194 (definição Pileggi-Castro) e 304 (definição SIS). A sensibilidade e especificidade foi, respectivamente, 97% e 92,6% na definição Silva, 90,9% e 90,6% na definição Pileggi-Castro e 93,9% e 85,3% na definição SIS. Os resultados mostram que a definição SIS apresenta sensibilidade e especificidade próxima às outras definições e sugere que é possível monitorar o near miss neonatal precoce com uso apenas de dados disponíveis nos sistemas oficiais de informações em saúde.

The aim of this study was to validate a definition to identify cases of early neonatal near miss using data from health information systems (SIS in Portuguese). This was a concurrent validation study focusing on three definitions for identification of cases of early neonatal near miss among live births in a university hospital in 2012. Three different definitions were applied to this live birth cohort using the criteria birth weight, gestational age, 5-minute Apgar score, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation, and congenital malformations, in different combinations, considering the proposals in two Brazilian articles (Silva et al.; Pillegi-Castro et al.) and a third (SIS definition) with available data from health information systems. Cases were defined as infants that had survived the risk conditions as of the 7th day of life. For concurrent validation, the study adopted early neonatal deaths as the reference. Of the 2,097 live births studied, 33 died in the early neonatal period, and the number of cases of early neonatal near miss varied according to the definition used: 153 (Silva definition), 194 (Pileggi-Castro definition), and 304 (SIS definition). Sensitivity and specificity were 97% and 92.6%, respectively, according to the Silva definition, 90.9% and 90.6% according to the Pileggi-Castro definition, and 93.9% and 85.3% according to the SIS definition. The results show that the SIS definition has sensitivity and specificity close to the other definitions and suggest that it is possible to monitor early neonatal near miss using only data that are available in official health information systems.

El objetivo fue validar una definición de identificación de casos de near miss neonatales precoces, utilizando datos de los sistemas de información en salud (SIS). Se trata de un estudio de validación concurrente entre tres definiciones para la identificación de casos de near miss neonatales precoces, realizado en un hospital universitario, con nacidos vivos que se produjeron en 2012. Se aplicaron tres definiciones a esta cohorte de nacidos vivos con la utilización de los criterios: peso al nacer, edad gestacional, índice de Apgar en el 5º minuto de vida, internamiento en la Unidad de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal, ventilación mecánica, además de malformaciones congénitas con diferentes combinaciones, considerando las propuestas de dos artículos brasileños publicados (definición Silva et al.; definición Pillegi-Castro et al.) y una tercera (definición SIS) con datos disponibles en el Sistema de Información en Salud. Se consideraron casos los supervivientes en condiciones de riesgo hasta el 7º día de vida. Para la validación concurrente, se adoptaron como referencia los óbitos neonatales precoces. De los 2.097 nacidos vivos estudiados, 33 fueron óbito durante el período neonatal precoz, y el número de casos de near miss neonatal precoz varió según la definición adoptada: 153 (definición Silva), 194 (definición Pileggi-Castro) y 304 (definición SIS). La sensibilidad y especificidad fue, respectivamente, 97% y 92,6% en la definición Silva, 90,9% y 90,6% en la definición Pileggi-Castro y 93,9% y 85,3% en la definición SIS. Los resultados muestran que la definición SIS presenta sensibilidad y especificidad próxima a las otras definiciones y sugiere que es posible monitorear el near miss neonatal precoz sólo con el uso de datos disponibles en los Sistemas oficiales de Información en Salud.

Adaptation of the WHO maternal near miss tool for use in sub-Saharan Africa: an International Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: Assessments of maternal near miss (MNM) are increasingly used in addition to those of maternal mortality measures. The World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced an MNM tool in 2009, but this tool was previously found to be of limited applicability in several low-resource settings. The aim of this study was to identify adaptations to enhance applicability of the WHO MNM tool in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Using a Delphi consensus methodology, existing MNM tools were rated for applicability in sub-Saharan Africa over a series of three rounds. Maternal health experts from sub-Saharan Africa or with considerable knowledge of the context first rated importance of WHO MNM parameters using Likert scales, and were asked to suggest additional parameters. This was followed by two confirmation rounds. Parameters accepted by at least 70% of the panel members were accepted for use in the region. RESULTS: Of 58 experts who participated from study onset, 47 (81%) completed all three rounds. Out of the 25 WHO MNM parameters, all 11 clinical, four out of eight laboratory, and four out of six management-based parameters were accepted, while six parameters (PaO2/FiO2 < 200 mmHg, bilirubin >100 µmol/l or >6.0 mg/dl, pH <7.1, lactate >5 µmol/l, dialysis for acute renal failure and use of continuous vasoactive drugs) were deemed to not be applicable. An additional eight parameters (uterine rupture, sepsis/severe systemic infection, eclampsia, laparotomy other than caesarean section, pulmonary edema, severe malaria, severe complications of abortions and severe pre-eclampsia with ICU admission) were suggested for inclusion into an adapted sub-Saharan African MNM tool. CONCLUSIONS: All WHO clinical criteria were accepted for use in the region. Only few of the laboratory- and management based were rated applicable. This study brought forward important suggestions for adaptations in the WHO MNM criteria to enhance its applicability in sub-Saharan Africa and possibly other low-resource settings.

Why women bleed and how they are saved: a cross-sectional study of caesarean section near-miss morbidity.

BACKGROUND: Maternal deaths from 'bleeding during and after caesarean section' (BDACS) have increased in South Africa, and have now become the largest sub-cause of deaths from obstetric haemorrhage. The aim of this study was to describe risk factors and causes of near-miss related to BDACS and interventions used to arrest haemorrhage and treat its effects. METHODS: Cross-sectional prospective study in 13 urban public hospitals in South Africa, from July to December 2014. RESULTS: There were 93 cases of near-miss related and 7 maternal deaths related to BDACS. The near-miss rate was 2.1/1000 live births, and the case fatality rate was 3.5/10 000 caesarean sections. Associated near-miss risk factors were previous caesarean section in 60% of multiparas, pre-operative anaemia (55%), abruptio placentae (20%) and placenta praevia and/or accreta (20%). Atonic uterus (43%) was the most frequent anatomical cause of bleeding for near-miss, followed by surgical trauma (29%). The median duration of the operations resulting in near-miss was 90 min, with 81% noted as difficult by the surgeon. Interventions in cases of near-miss included second-look laparotomy (46%), hysterectomy (41%), B-Lynch brace suture (9%), intensive care unit admission (32%) and red cell transfusion ≥3 units (21%). CONCLUSION: Cases from maternal near-miss from BDACS were frequently associated with pre-operative risk factors. Extensive life-saving interventions were required during and after the operations. An important factor in initiating the sequence of interventions is the realisation by the surgeon that the caesarean section is difficult, so that the progression from uneventful operation to near-miss to death can be arrested.

Maternal near miss approach to evaluate quality of care in Alborz province, Iran.

OBJECTIVE: the maternal near miss approach has been developed by World Health Organization for assessing and improving the quality of care. This study aimed to examine the incidence, characteristics, and features of the care provided for maternal near-miss cases in public and private hospitals in Alborz province, Iran. METHODS: a cross sectional, facility-based study was conducted in all 13 public and private hospitals of Alborz province between April 2012 and December 2012. The World Health Organization near miss criteria were applied to gather and analyse the data, and indicators related to maternal near miss, access to and quality of maternal care. FINDINGS: 38,715 deliveries were assessed. There were 38,663 live births, 419 (1.08%) had potentially life-threatening conditions and 199 had severe maternal outcomes (SMO) (192 near miss cases and 7 maternal deaths). The maternal near-miss ratio was 4.97 cases per 1000 live births. The incidence of severe maternal outcome was 5.15 cases per 1000 live births. Severe mortality outcomes index within 12 hours of hospital stay from admission (SMO12) was 3.52%. The proportion of SMO12 cases from the total SMO cases was 99.5%. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission rate among women with SMO was 72.7%, while the overall admission rate was 0.7%. Overall, hypertensive disorder was the most frequent condition among women with potentially life-threatening conditions and maternal near-miss cases. Cardiovascular dysfunction and respiratory dysfunction were the most prevalent dysfunctions among maternal near miss (MNM) cases and maternal death cases respectively. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the WHO maternal near miss criteria help to identify issues that may lead to life threatening conditions and can be used to monitor and improve the quality of care in maternity settings. Hypertensive disorders related to near miss conditions need more attention to prevent maternal severe outcomes in Alborz province. Most of the process indicators were not satisfactory. The WHO tool enables health managers to improve maternal health care.