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An Update on Antibiotics for Chorioamnionitis and Maternal Sepsis
Wednesday, February 26, 2025, from 12-1 pm PT
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About Obstetric Sepsis

Obstetric sepsis is now the second-leading cause of maternal mortality. It is also the primary cause of severe maternal morbidity during both the antepartum and postpartum periods, and the third-leading cause at delivery. Data from the California Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review (CA-PAMR) committee report estimate that 63% of maternal deaths from sepsis had a good or strong chance to have been preventable. Furthermore, for each maternal death, there are 50 women/birthing people who experience life-threatening morbidity from sepsis. This is concerning, given that prompt recognition and rapid treatment of pregnant and postpartum women/birthing people with sepsis usually results in good outcomes in this young and generally healthy population.

To assist healthcare providers in implementing evidence-based methods for timely recognition and treatment of sepsis, a community co-designed and co-led quality improvement collaborative for obstetric sepsis has been launched in two states (California and Michigan). CMQCC has partnered with the Dunlevie Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center at Stanford University, Michigan AIM, and Duke University to increase the impact of this effort.

The Obstetric Sepsis Collaborative engages mentor-led groups of six to ten hospitals. Each group has four mentors including a nurse, physician, community leader, and a patient with lived experience who add unique perspectives on this work. The Community Leadership Group and the Clinical Advisory Board in partnership with the project leadership have developed a number of resources that will advance the care of patients with obstetric sepsis.  Many also address generalizable issues for all severe obstetric complications. These resources are available below.

  • Advocacy Tips for Patients and Families
  • Guide for Patient and Family Debriefs before Discharge
  • Obstetric Sepsis Flow Chart for Screening and Diagnosis
  • Urgent Maternal Warning Signs (developed by AIM/ACOG and the CDC)
  • Warning Signs Follow-up Guide for Health Care Professionals

 

Improving Diagnosis and Treatment of Maternal Sepsis Toolkit

The Improving Diagnosis and Treatment of Maternal Sepsis Toolkit was developed by the Maternal Sepsis Task Force and published in January 2020 as a resource for obstetricians, rapid response teams, and intensive care units who interact with women/birthing people during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. The toolkit introduces a new two-step screening and confirmation process to more accurately diagnose and treat obstetric sepsis. This screening and diagnostic approach has been updated as part of the NICHD-supported Obstetric Sepsis Collaborative active in California and Michigan. As part of the review process for the collaborative, the Sepsis toolkit is undergoing revisions to update the diagnosis pages, add the Obstetric Sepsis Flow Chart for Screening and Diagnosis, and to add multiple patient-centered resources. 

Download Improving Diagnosis and Treatment of Maternal Sepsis Toolkit (2020)
(Note: The Toolkit will be updated in April 2025)

Individual sections of the toolkit are also available for download:

 

Key Resources

Updated September 2024

Sepsis Collaborative Webinar Series (2023-2024):

 

Related Publications: Sepsis Quality Improvement Collaborative

 

Funding Acknowledgement

Funding for the joint California and Michigan Obstetric Sepsis QI Collaborative is provided by a cooperative agreement with NICHD (UH3-HD108053).