Aim: To evaluate and compare the feto-maternal outcomes of pregnant women with potentially life-threatening complications (PLTC) and near miss events admitted to the obstetric high dependency units (OHDU).
Methods: Pregnant women with PLTC admitted to the OHDU were enrolled. Feto-maternal outcomes, need for NICU admission and neonatal mortality, were compared between women without near miss events (controls) and those with near miss events.
Results: Of the 1505 admissions to the obstetric department during the study period, 1127 delivered at our hospital. Among the deliveries 125 (11%) women were admitted to the OHDU and 19 (15%) of them were referred to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital. The incidence of near miss morbidity (n = 46) was 37% among the mothers admitted to OHDU and 4.1% among the deliveries. The outcomes were similar in both groups for mean birth weight (among live births), neonatal death and still birth or intra-uterine deaths. The mean duration of ICU stay, proportion of ICU admission, and the mean duration of hospital stay were significantly higher for women with near miss events.
Conclusion: In the presence of standardized OHDU and an ICU, the feto-maternal outcomes of women with PLTC and near miss event are similar to those without near miss events.
Keywords: Feto-maternal outcomes; near miss events; obstetric high dependency units; potentially life-threatening complications.