Background: Cardiomyopathy (CM) and other cardiovascular conditions (OCVs) are among the most frequent causes of pregnancy-related death in the United States. Objectives: The purpose of this paper was to report demographic and clinical characteristics, preventability, contributing factors, and Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) recommendations among pregnancy-related deaths with underlying causes of CM, OCVs, and the 2 combined (cardiovascular conditions, CV). Methods: We analyzed pregnancy-related death data from MMRCs in 32 states, occurring during 2017 to 2019, with MMRC-determined underlying causes of CVs. We describe distributions of demographic characteristics, present the most frequent contributing factor classes, and provide example MMRC prevention recommendations. Results: Among 210 pregnancy-related deaths due to CVs, 84 (40%) were due to CM and 126 (60%) to OCVs. More than half (51.2%) of CM deaths were among non-Hispanic Black persons. Two-thirds (66%) of all CV deaths occurred among people <35 years old. Approximately 53% of CM deaths and 31% of OCV deaths occurred 43 to 365 days postpartum. Over 75% of pregnancy-related deaths due to CVs were determined by MMRCs to be preventable. The 5 most frequent contributing factor classes accounted for 50% of the total MMRC-identified contributing factors. MMRC prevention recommendations occur at multiple levels. Conclusions: Most pregnancy-related deaths due to CM and OCV are preventable. Example MMRC recommendations provided in this report illustrate prevention opportunities that address contributing factors, including broader awareness of urgent warning signs, improved handoffs for care coordination and continuity, and expanded accessibility of community-based comprehensive and integrated care services. © 2024 The Authors

Maternal mortality is increasingly recognized as a public health crisis in the United States, with growing attention on the 3 major systems of national surveillance. National maternal mortality statistics are reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)1 within the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (PMSS)2 within the Division of Reproductive Health (DRH). Comprehensive surveillance data at the state and local level are also available from maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs) via the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA).3 Each surveillance system has inherent strengths and limitations, but all rely on valid, accurate, and timely case identification via vital statistics data. We outline recent innovations to improve identification and ensure robust and accurate surveillance of maternal mortality in the United States.

In the November 2021 issue, Wallaceet al1report,“Homicide mortality dur-ing pregnancy and within thefirst 42days from the end of pregnancy-.exceeded all the leading causes ofmaternal mortality.”using mortalitydata for females aged 10–44 years fromthe Centers for Disease Control andPrevention’s National Vital StatisticsSystem. There are two ways in whichthis statement may be inaccurate.Thefirst is that comparing all casesof homicide with the leading threedisaggregated direct obstetric causes ofdeath (ie, hemorrhage, hypertensivedisorders, sepsis) is not an equivalentcomparison. As reported, homicidemortality rates appear similar to thethree leading specific causes of directobstetric death when combined. Fur-ther, this comparison leaves out the restof the direct obstetric deaths from othercauses. In 2018, there were six times asmany total direct obstetric deaths2ashomicides, as reported

Each year approximately 700 people die in the United States from pregnancy-related complications. We describe the characteristics of pregnancy-related deaths due to mental health conditions, including substance use disorders, and identify opportunities for prevention based on recommendations from fourteen state Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) from the period 2008-17. Among 421 pregnancy-related deaths with an MMRC-determined underlying cause of death, 11 percent were due to mental health conditions. Pregnancy-related mental health deaths were more likely than deaths from other causes to be determined by an MMRC to be preventable (100 percent versus 64 percent), to occur among non-Hispanic White people (86 percent versus 45 percent), and to occur 43-365 days postpartum (63 percent versus 18 percent). Sixty-three percent of pregnancy-related mental health deaths were by suicide. Nearly three-quarters of people with a pregnancy-related mental health cause of death had a history of depression, and more than two-thirds had past or current substance use. MMRC recommendations can be used to prioritize interventions and can inform strategies to enable screening, care coordination, and continuation of care throughout pregnancy and the year postpartum.