[Causes for transfer of obstetric patients to an intensive care unit (1990-19960].

BACKGROUND: In order to have an updated review of the causes for transferring patients from our Institute to Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a study has been conducted on patients admitted from 1990 to 1996. METHODS: Of the 28 women transferred, one underwent dilatation & curettage of uterine cavity after abortion, 3 had a normal delivery and 24 underwent a cesarean section. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The complications were as follows: respiratory failure (5 cases); suspected or confirmed lung embolism (1); cerebral ischemia (1); septic complications (1); cardiocirculatory complications (19 cases; 7 of them were due to DIC; 6 due to cardiocirculatory failure; 6 due to haemorrhagic shock). These patients were divided into 3 groups, those with pre-existing pathologies which worsened (2 cases); those due to deterioration of pathology arose during pregnancy (17) and, finally, complications during delivery (9). In total the cases of mortality were 7, all of them following cardiocirculatory complications.