An Audit Review of Obstetric Patients Admitted in the Intensive Care Unit in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape South Africa: a review of characteristics and outcomes

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Although most pregnancies proceed uneventfully, a proportion of pregnancies and deliveries may present with complications that require critical care.

OBJECTIVES:

To investigate the characteristics, clinical data and outcomes of obstetric patients transferred from Dora Nginza Hospital High Care Unit to Livingstone Hospital Intensive Care Unit.

 
METHODS:

This was a retrospective descriptive study; clinical records of antenatal and postpartum patients that were transferred from Dora Nginza Hospital HCU to Livingstone Hospital ICU from January 2015 to December 2016, were reviewed. Data were collected on patient characteristics, diagnoses, and reasons for referral and ICU admission.

RESULTS:

The file records of 1 498 obstetric patients admitted to Dora Nginza Hospital HCU, were included in the study; 31/1498 (2.1%) patients were transferred to Livingstone Hospital ICU. Hypertensive disorders 843/1498 (56.3%), obstetric haemorrhage 481/1498 (32.1%), chronic conditions 96/1498 (6.4%) and respiratory infections 75/1498 (5.0%) were the major reasons for admission to the HCU. Patients in the age groups 20 – 29 years and 30 – 39 years accounted for the highest percentages of admission, regardless of reason for admission. Thirty-one patients were transferred from the HCU to ICU, 9/31 (29.0%) due to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and 8/31 (25.8%) due to postpartum haemorrhage.

CONCLUSION:

Our results were consistent with global data showing most frequent indications for ICU admission are postpartum haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. In our study, age had no influence on ICU admission.