• Sam J Lepine, Stacie E Geller, Megan Pledger, Beverley Lawton, and Evelyn Jane MacDonald.
• Wellington Regional Hospital, Wellington, New Zealand.
• Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2020 Apr 1; 60 (2): 212-217.

BackgroundHaemorrhage in pregnancy may be life-threatening to woman and infant. The impact of severe obstetric haemorrhage can be reduced by detecting high-risk women, implementing guidelines and treatment plans, early detection of hypovolaemia and timely appropriate treatment.AimsTo describe cases of severe maternal morbidity caused by obstetric haemorrhage in New Zealand and investigate the potential preventability of these cases.Materials And MethodsA multidisciplinary expert review panel was established to review cases of obstetric haemorrhage admitted to intensive care or high-dependency units over an 18-month span in New Zealand. Cases were critically analysed by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians to determine the potential preventability.ResultsOne hundred and twenty cases were identified, most commonly due to postpartum haemorrhage with 36% (n = 43) deemed potentially preventable, mainly due to delay or failure of diagnosis (65%, 28/43) and/or failure or delay in treatment (91%, 39/43). Twenty-three per cent of cases (28/120) resulted in peripartum hysterectomy of which one-third were deemed potentially preventable.ConclusionsPrompt recognition and treatment in accordance with evidence-based guidelines is imperative to decrease the burden of morbidity from obstetric haemorrhage. An emphasis on training clinicians to identify haemorrhage in a timely way may avoid unnecessary obstetric emergencies and can improve maternity and neonatal outcomes.© 2019 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

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