Seasonal Trends and Emergency Admissions for Obstetric Hemorrhage and Trauma among Pregnant Women in Iran

Globally, obstetric hemorrhage and trauma are the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality during pregnancy. Delivering high-quality medical care to these patients is therefore imperative.This study aims to examine the relationship between month of referral and the severity of emergency admissions among pregnant women referred for obstetric hemorrhage and trauma.

A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted on hospital records of 1,684 pregnant women admitted to the case emergency center at Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, Iran for hemorrhage or trauma between January and December 2016. Secondary data extracted from the hospital information system (HIS) were used to calculate frequencies for patient demographics (age, insurance type), clinical characteristics (admission type, emergency severity, injury cause, referral reason) and external factors (month of referral). Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between the month of referral and emergency severity (urgent/non-urgent) for hemorrhage and trauma.

Hemorrhage during pregnancy (n = 1,636, 97.1%) was the most prevalent reason for referral throughout the year. The month of referral was significantly associated with emergency severity (P < 0.001). Compared to March, the odds of urgent referrals were notably higher in August (OR 3.822), October (OR 5.084), and November (OR 4.720).

A peak in emergency referrals were observed during the summer and fall months, with October having the highest number of referrals for obstetric hemorrhage and trauma.