Sentinel Event Alert 44

Preventing Maternal Death

This Alert addresses current trends and evidence suggest that maternal mortality rates may be increasing in the U.S., despite the rarity of the incidence of maternal death – deaths that occur within 42 days of birth or termination of pregnancy.

Since 1996, a total of 84 cases of maternal death have been reported to The Joint Commission’s sentinel event database, with the largest numbers of events reported in 2004, 2005 and 2006. According to the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006, the national maternal mortality rate was 13.3 deaths per 100,000 live births. 

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