Objective:

To provide the most recent scientific evidence about definitions, diagnosis and consequences of severe maternal morbidity (SMM).

Research methodology:

We searched databases in PubMed, The Cochrane Library, OVID, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Artemisa, LILACS and Imbiomed from 2005 to 2018 with the following keywords: severe maternal morbidity, near miss morbidity, severe acute maternal morbidity, obstetric near miss and maternal near miss. The search was restricted to articles written in the English and Spanish language and published from 2005 to 2018. Qualitative studies were excluded.

Results:

SMM or maternal near miss event refers to any acute obstetric complication that immediately threatens a woman’s survival but does not result in her death either by chance or because of hospital care she receives during pregnancy, labor or within six weeks of termination of pregnancy. The indicators for SMM were developed and based on the incidence and presence of hemorrhagic disorders, hypertensive disorders, other systemic disorders and severe maternal conditions which could have an impact on maternal health. Nowadays it is suggested that the study of indicators for SMM is a more useful indicator of obstetric care than mortality.

Conclusions:

Use of best evidence-based practices, studying and improving the effectiveness and quality of clinical practice, family planning, prenatal check-up, and hospital obstetric care programs are strategies that could help to reduce cases of SMM.