International Journal of
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Research Article Volume 12 Issue 2
Maternal nearmiss and related conditions in care at a high-risk referral hospital in Southern Brazil
Isadora Ferreira Kozlowski
Received: May 13, 2026 | Published: June 24, 2026
Citation: Kozlowski IF. Maternal nearmiss and related conditions in care at a high-risk referral hospital in Southern Brazil. Pregnancy & Child Birth. 2026;12(2):55-59. DOI: 10.15406/ipcb.2026.12.00341
Abstract
Background: Maternal Near Miss (MNM) refers to women who survive life-threatening obstetric complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or the puerperium. Monitoring MNM cases provides valuable information regarding the quality of obstetric care and maternal health outcomes. Objective: To describe and analyze maternal near miss cases and related conditions in a high-risk referral hospital in Southern Brazil. Methods: A retrospective descriptive observational study was conducted using electronic medical records of women admitted to a tertiary referral hospital between August 2023 and August 2024. Cases were identified according to the World Health Organization maternal near miss criteria. Sociodemographic, clinical, obstetric, and outcome variables were analyzed. Maternal near miss indicators and mortality indices were calculated according to WHO recommendations. Results: Among 3,463 births, 55 maternal near miss cases and 9 maternal deaths were identified. The maternal near miss ratio was 16.03 per 1,000 live births, while the severe maternal outcome ratio was 18.65 per 1,000 live births. Hypertensive disorders were the leading cause of severe maternal outcomes (37.5%), followed by hemorrhagic complications (28.1%). All patients required intensive care admission. Emergency hysterectomy was performed in 15.62% of cases, and 29.68% required blood transfusion. Maternal mortality was mainly associated with hemorrhage and cardiac disease. Conclusion: Hypertensive disorders and obstetric hemorrhage were the principal conditions associated with severe maternal outcomes. The evaluation of maternal near miss events represents an important strategy for identifying opportunities to improve obstetric care and reduce maternal mortality in high-risk settings.
Keywords: maternal near miss; maternal mortality; severe maternal morbidity; obstetric hemorrhage; hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
©2026 Kozlowski. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.