Pregnancy-Related Mortality in California Due to Obstetric Hemorrhage

Abstract

Objective: To identify underlying causes, contributing factors, and quality-improvement opportunities of pregnancy-related hemorrhage deaths.

Methods: The California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review examined pregnancy-related hemorrhage deaths in California that occurred in 2014-2018. Data were abstracted from multiple sources (vital records, hospital encounter data, medical records, and coroner or autopsy reports). A multidisciplinary expert panel reviewed all case summaries. Data from reviews were aggregated to determine underlying causes of death, preventability, contributing factors, and quality-improvement opportunities at the patient, clinician, facility, and system levels.

Results: During the study period, there were 2,409,732 live births and 49 pregnancy-related hemorrhage deaths. Placenta accreta spectrum accounted for 16 (32.7%) of deaths; intra-abdominal bleeding and uterine atony each accounted for 10 deaths (20.4%). Compared with the California birth population, a significantly higher proportion of women who died were born in China (14.3% vs 3.9%); were 35 years of age or older (49.0% vs 21.9%); had two or more prior births (57.4% vs 29.1%); had cesarean deliveries (74.4% vs 31.8%); or delivered at hospitals with fewer than 1,200 births per year (33.3% vs 12.2%) (all P <.05). The committee determined that 63.3% of all hemorrhage deaths were highly preventable with substantial variation by cause. Clinician-, facility-, and system-level contributing factors were noted in 88.9% of cases and included delayed response or escalation (77.8%), delayed recognition (72.2%), and insufficient quantities of blood products used (52.8%). Corresponding quality-improvement opportunities included timely hemorrhage risk assessment; increased vigilance for identifying signs and symptoms of hemorrhage; escalation of care and aggressive management; preparation for hemorrhage complications and ongoing training for all hospitals, particularly low-resource facilities; and adherence to severe hemorrhage protocols.

Conclusion: Obstetric hemorrhage remains a leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality and has multiple causes with various levels of preventability. Optimizing system-based approaches for hemorrhage preparedness, detection, and clinical management is critical to reduce preventable deaths from hemorrhage, especially among patients who do not respond to first-line treatment.