Obstetric Sepsis

Abstract

Introduction: Sepsis is one of the main causes of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide and it represents 8.3% of maternal deaths in Latin America. This concept has changed significantly during the last decade with the creation of new therapeutic tools and strategies, which have allowed the timely recruitment of a greater number of patients, which has made it possible to improve results. However, so far there is no specific diagnostic test.
Objective: To provide specialists with updated information on obstetric sepsis or sepsis in pregnancy.
Methods: A literature review on the subject was carried out, in Spanish and English articles, originals and reviews published in PubMed, Scielo and Google Scholar databases in the last 10 years.
Analysis and synthesis of the information: No defined concept was found for “obstetric sepsis” or “sepsis in pregnancy”, despite all the advances that have occurred in the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis in adult patients.
Conclusions: The key in the management of this pathology is in the early identification of the signs and symptoms suggestive of sepsis. Because pregnant patients present specific characteristics of pregnancy, they become a population at risk of underdiagnosis or overdiagnosis due to the lack of consensus on this issue. Consequently, sepsis continues to be a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality around the world.