AZEVEDO, L. M. C.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/4239088400722508; AZEVEDO, Lívia Maria Costa.
Resumen:
Maternal mortality is defined as the death of a woman during or up to 42 days after
termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and place of the pregancy, for any cause
related or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not due to accidental causes or
incidental. It is one of the most serious violations of women's human rights, as it is avoidable
in 92,0 % of cases. The present study sought to evaluate maternal mortality in the state of
Paraíba from 2007 to 2016. This is a descriptive, documentary, quantitative based survey
conducted with secondary data obtained from the online database and from free access of the
Mortality Information System, provided by the Department of Informatics of the Unified
Health System and the Information System on Live Births. The population was composed of
women of childbearing age living in the state of Paraíba, who died of maternal death in the
period between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2016. The data were analysed by
descriptive statistics and compared to the relevant literature of the studied subject. The results
obtained evidenced a total of 324 deaths in the period studied, with a higher prevalence of
deaths during pregnancy, childbirth or abortion up to 42 days postpartum (74,3%), with
research (92%), in women in the age group between 30 and 39 years old (41%), of color/race
brown (74,4%), with schooling ingored (48,8%), and single marital status (36,4%). Regarding
the type of obstetric causes, a higher number of deaths from direct causes (78,7%) were
observed. There was a predominance of deaths due to pregnancy specif hypertensive
syndromes (27,5%), infections in pregnancy and puerperium (17,3%), and other maternal
diseases that complicate pregnancy, chuldbirth and the puerperium (13,0%). The microregions
of Paraíba that presented the highest rates of maternal mortality were João Pessoa (24,4%) and
Campina Grande (14,8%). At the end of this study it is concluded that the maternal mortality
profile has been deserving special attention in the state of Paraíba, due to the presence of high
values of the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), acompanied by avoidable causes in most
cases. Thus, it is necessary that health professionals adopt measures that early identify risks to
maternal health and allow appropriate behavior, thus intervening more efficiently.