Reducing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Linked to Stillbirth

Maternal mortality is substantially higher in the U.S. than in many other countries. To assess prevalence of and risk for severe maternal morbidity among stillbirths compared with live births, researchers analyzed California statewide data on >6,400,000 deliveries between 1999 and 2011.

Prevalence of severe maternal morbidity per 10,000 deliveries was 578 for stillbirth versus 99 for live birth. Bleeding complications requiring transfusion (e.g., disseminated intravascular coagulation) constituted the most common form of severe maternal morbidity. When stillbirth was caused by hypertensive disorders or placental conditions, risk for severe maternal morbidity was 20 times higher than when stillbirth was caused by fetal malformations or geneti…