ESTUDO ECOLÓGICO DA MORTALIDADE MATERNA EM SERGIPE ENTRE 2018 E 2022: CAUSAS E DISTRIBUIÇÃO GEOGRÁFICA

Abstract

Maternal mortality is the death of a woman during pregnancy or up to 42 days after the end of pregnancy, due to causes related to pregnancy, excluding accidental events. The objective of this study is to investigate its causes and geographic distribution in the Health Regions of Sergipe between 2018 and 2022. This is a quantitative ecological research that analyzed maternal deaths in Sergipe for 5 years. Clinical variables, such as obstetric causes and ICD-10 classifications, as well as demographic aspects related to the location of deaths in the state's health regions, were analyzed. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) indicator was used, with data collected from DATASUS. In addition, the georeferencing provided by Google Maps was used to assess the distance and travel time between the maternity hospitals in the state's health regions and the high-risk maternity hospital located in Aracaju. A total of 117 maternal deaths were recorded in the period, resulting in a rate of 73.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, with a heterogeneous distribution. The Health Regions of Estância, Nossa Senhora do Socorro and Itabaiana had the highest Maternal Mortality Ratios. The predominant direct causes were gestational hypertensive syndromes and postpartum hemorrhages, in addition to an increase in indirect causes between 2020 and 2022, associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Maternal mortality is an important indicator of the health conditions of the population. Its reduction is fundamental for the development of the state, and it is necessary to formulate public policies that guarantee the safety of parturients and improve access to appropriate practices in women's health care during pregnancy and childbirth.