Factors associated with severe maternal outcome in patients admitted to an intensive care unit in northeastern Brazil with postpartum hemorrhage: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries; however, the majority of these deaths could be avoided with adequate obstetric care. Analyzing severe maternal outcomes (SMO) has been a major approach for evaluating the quality of the obstetric care provided, since the morbid events that lead to maternal death generally occur in sequence. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical profile, management, maternal outcomes and factors associated with SMO in women who developed PPH and were admitted to an obstetric intensive care unit (ICU) in northeastern Brazil.