• Menekşe Özçelik, Sanem Turhan, Onat Bermede, Ali Abbas Yılmaz, Necmettin Ünal, and Mustafa Kemal Bayar.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
• Turk J Anaesthesiol Reanim. 2017 Oct 1; 45 (5): 303-309.

ObjectiveAlthough their rates are decreasing, pregnancy-related mortality and morbidity are problems worldwide. In this study, we aimed to review the characteristics, diagnoses, required interventions and outcomes of obstetric patients admitted between 2006 and 2014 to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a tertiary university hospital to provide an indicator for improving the management of critically ill obstetric patients.MethodsA retrospective study of hospital records of obstetric admissions to the ICU was conducted.ResultsThe pregnancy-related ICU admission rate was 0.21% among all deliveries during the study period. Nine antepartum (mean gestational age: 23 weeks) and 48 postpartum (mean gestational age: 34 weeks) obstetric ICU admissions were included. Most obstetric patients admitted antepartum were primiparous (88.8%), whereas those admitted postpartum were multiparous (64.6%). The mean ICU stay was 7 days among the patients admitted antepartum and 6 days among those admitted postpartum. Common medical reasons for ICU admission were respiratory failure and HELLP syndrome in both groups; DIC and eclampsia were also medical reasons causing ICU admission among the postpartum patients. Mechanical ventilation and blood derivative transfusion were the most common interventions required during the ICU stay of the obstetric patients. Maternal death was unique to the patients admitted postpartum (6 patients, 12.5%).ConclusionWe reviewed obstetric admissions to our institution over an 8-year period. We believe that a nationwide study in Turkey that provides an indicator of the frequency, reasons of ICU admission and outcome of obstetric patients is required to improve the quality of intensive care.

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