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Top 10 Pearls for the Recognition, Evaluation, and Management of Maternal Sepsis
In the United States, maternal sepsis is the fourth leading cause of maternal mortality, occurring in 0.04% of deliveries, but accounting for 23% of all deaths. Contemporary data estimate that 63% of maternal deaths from sepsis may be preventable, and that for each maternal death, there are 50 women who experience life-threatening morbidity from sepsis. Therefore, the early recognition, expedient evaluation, and appropriate management of maternal sepsis are necessary to reduce severe morbidity and mortality.
The diagnosis of maternal sepsis remains a challenge as the normal physiologic adaptations of pregnancy can mask the recognition of common signs and symptoms. Moreover, robust data on recognition and treatment of maternal sepsis are lacking, and clinicians must largely rely on extrapolation of sepsis-based guidelines for nonpregnant adults. Nonetheless, clinicians must be aware of best practices to recognize and treat sepsis as decreasing time to intervention improves outcomes. Common etiologies for maternal sepsis differ from that of the general population resulting in differences in initial and subsequent antimicrobial selection. Additionally, optimal management requires clinicians to consider the unique needs of both the patient and fetus.
The purpose of this expert review is to provide simple and easy-to-remember pearls for the early recognition, evaluation and management of maternal sepsis...
Click here for Top 10 Pearls
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