Cmaj Podcasts

Two research articles in CMAJ examine gaps in how maternal risk is captured and how it varies across populations in Canada. One study shows that extending surveillance beyond delivery reveals a higher burden of severe maternal morbidity, particularly in the postpartum period. A second examines obstetric trauma, identifying differences across racial and immigration groups and pointing to structural and sociocultural factors that shape risk during delivery.Dr. Giulia Muraca, an obstetrician-gynecologist at McMaster University and principal investigator on the first study, explains that extending surveillance beyond delivery increases estimated rates of severe maternal morbidity from 1.7% to 2.7%, representing nearly 10 000 affected pregnancies annually in Canada. Maya Rajasingham, a perinatal epidemiologist at McMaster and co-author, notes that 29% of these events occur postpartum, with sepsis emerging as a key contributor. Muraca adds that postpartum sepsis rates are substantially higher than previously report