title: Obstetric patients in intensive care unit: Perspective from a teaching hospital in Pakistan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Review of obstetric cases admitted to the intensive care unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten year retrospective review of individual patients' medical records.
  
  
  METHODS
  Records of obstetric patients admitted from 2005-2014.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnosis at the time of admission, associated risk factors, and intervention required aspects of management and rate of mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 194 obstetric patients were admitted out of which 86.2% of patients had ventilator support. Mortality was not seen to be significantly associated with parity and antenatal/postnatal status. The median age of patients was 34 years, minimum length of stay was 24 hours and maximum stay was 53 days. Sixty one percent of patients were admitted to with organ system failure. The overall mortality rate was 21.64% (42/194). The mortality rate was five times more likely in patients who had gastro-intestinal complication {Odds Ratio=4.87; 95%CI: 1.65-14.36}. The largest group of patients {28.4%} presented with hematological diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When the intensive care unit admission became essential, primary diagnosis included: postpartum hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, sepsis and infectious diseases. An increased vigilance of high-risk pregnant women and a stabilization of their condition before intervention is administered, improves the outcome of these women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University and Hospital, Karachi, 3500, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Rahat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University and Hospital, Karachi, 3500, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sheikh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Irfan Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Anesthesia Department, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, 3500, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raza
authors.affiliation: Anesthesia Department, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, 3500, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Ayesha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khurshid
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University and Hospital, Karachi, 3500, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Uzma
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Chishti
keywords: critical care; obstetrics; pregnancy