Obstetric admission to intensive care units in Japan: a cohort study using the Japanese Intensive care PAtient Database

Purpose: This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and annual trends of obstetric patients using a multicenter intensive care database.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective cohort study used the Japanese Intensive care PAtient Database (JIPAD). We included obstetric patients registered in the JIPAD between 2015 and 2020. We investigated the proportion of obstetric patients among all patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). We also described the characteristics, procedures, and outcomes of obstetric patients. In addition, the annual trends were examined by nonparametric tests for trends.

Results: Of the 184,705 patients enrolled in the JIPAD, 750 (0.41%) were obstetric patients from 61 facilities. The median age was 34 years, the number of post-emergency surgeries was 450 (60.0%), and the median APACHE III score was 36. Mechanical ventilation was the most common procedure performed in 247 (32.9%) patients. There were five (0.7%) in-hospital deaths. The proportion of obstetric patients in the ICU did not change between 2015 and 2020 (P for trend = 0.32). However, there was a trend for a significant decrease in the severity of illness and length of hospital stay on an annual basis between 2015 and 2020. Most patients were admitted to the ICU because of a pregnancy-related disorder postoperatively.

Conclusion: The proportion of obstetric patients was 0.41% of all ICU admissions. The proportion of obstetric patients admitted to the ICU did not change from 2015 to 2020, but the patients’ severity of illness and length of hospital stay significantly decreased over time.

Keywords: Critical care; Epidemiology; Intensive care unit; Maternal health; Obstetrics.