Pregnancy-Related Deaths Due to Infection: Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, 2012-2019

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Maternal Health
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Infection is a leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System has tracked these deaths since 1987.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze infection-related pregnancy deaths using 2012-2019 data.
• To identify specific infection subclassifications and their mortality ratios.
• To examine sociodemographic factors associated with infection deaths.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive study using data from the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (2012-2019).
• Analysis of infection death subclassifications.
• Calculation of pregnancy-related mortality ratios per 100,000 live births for each subclassification.

Main Results:

• The overall pregnancy-related mortality ratio for infection was 2.23.
• Sepsis accounted for 46.4% of infection deaths; other nonpelvic infections were 25.2%.
• Endocarditis deaths showed the largest relative increase in mortality ratio from 2012 to 2019.

Conclusions:

• Subclassifying infection deaths is crucial for targeted interventions.
• Detailed data can improve efforts to reduce pregnancy-related deaths.
• Monitoring trends in specific infection types is essential for assessing progress.