Term: Severe Maternal Morbidity

Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2012-11-05

Definition:

These are additional conditions present with the mother during pregnancy that can cause complications and have an impact on the birth outcome, such as an increased maternal length of stay in hospital.

In Heaman et al. (2012), they investigated and reported rates for a number of severe maternal morbidities. These 13 conditions, as identified by Joseph et al. (2010), included: eclampsia; rupture of uterus during labour; puerperal sepsis; HIV disease; cardiac arrest; cardiac failure or myocardial infarction; assisted ventilation; hysterectomy, open approach; blood transfusion; repair of bladder, urethra, or intestine; embolization/ligation/suture uterus for postpartum hemorrhage; placenta previa with hemorrhage and blood transfusion; postpartum hemorrhage and blood transfusion; and postpartum hemorrhage and hysterectomy. See Appendix Table A.4: Table of Codes - Severe Maternal Morbidities for a list of ICD-10-CA, CCI and other codes used to identify each of these conditions.

Related concepts 

• Maternal and Newborn Health Status Indicators

Related terms 

• Antenatal Hospitalization
• Eclampsia
• Maternal Length of Stay
• Morbidity

References 

• Heaman M, Kingston D, Helewa M, Brownell M, Derksen S, Bogdanovic B, McGowan K, Bailly A. Perinatal Services and Outcomes in Manitoba. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2012. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] (View)
• Joseph KS, Liu S, Rouleau J, Kirby RS, Kramer MS, Sauve R, Fraser WD, Young DC, Liston RM, Maternal Health Study Group of the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System. Severe maternal morbidity in Canada, 2003 to 2007: surveillance using routine hospitalization data and ICD-10CA codes. J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2010;32(9):837-846.(View)