[Obstetrical hemorrhage as a maternal death cause in the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social during 2011].

OBJECTIVE: to describe the clinical data associated to maternal deaths due to fetomaternal bleeding. METHODS: we analyzed 32 of 135 cases of maternal deaths that occurred in the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) during 2011. The main inclusion feature was the presence of severe hemorrhage during pregnancy, childbirth or puerperium. RESULTS: obstetric hemorrhage as the underlying cause of maternal death was presented in 65.6 % and in 34.4 % severe obstetric hemorrhage occurred due to different underlying cause of maternal death. The age group with the highest maternal deaths by massive bleeding was the group of 30 to 39 years. The resolution of the pregnancy was by cesarean in most cases. The cases of placenta accrete and uterine atony were others maternal death causes. CONCLUSIONS: the massive bleeding during pregnancy, birth and/or postpartum continues as the second leading cause of maternal mortality in the IMSS. It is necessary to continue training for improving (the performance) in the management of the pregnancy woman with hemorrhage.