Maternal Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Tamaulipas, Mexico: A Retrospective Study

Background: Women are at increased risk of developing severe morbidity and mortality during pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium, especially in developing countries. In Mexico, during 2020, 27.5% of maternal deaths were attributed to COVID-19. The aim of this study was to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of maternal deaths among patients with and without COVID-19 in the state of Tamaulipas. Materials and Methods: A non-probabilistic sampling approach was used in this observational, cross-sectional, descriptive, retrospective study of obstetric patients. Results: One hundred and six obstetric patient records were evaluated. Eleven patients died directly from COVID-19 complications. The mean age of the population was 29.5 years, with 7.54% suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus and 5.66% systemic arterial hypertension. Obstetric complications were late surgical puerperium (11.32%), physiological puerperium (9.43%), and obstetric hemorrhage (7.54%). Lung complications were community-acquired pneumonia (20.75%), of which 50% were due to COVID-19 (10.37%) and respiratory distress syndrome (15.09%). Systemic complications were hypovolemic shock (16.98%), septic shock (15.09%), and multiple organ failure (12.26%). Conclusions: Mortality from COVID-19 in obstetric patients was 10.37%, and 89.63% died from gynecological, lung, and systemic complications.