Project 462238

Over the past two decades, an increasing number of women in Canada have experienced serious health issues because of infection during pregnancy, during childbirth and after childbirth. This is called "maternal sepsis." Maternal sepsis is the third leading cause of maternal death, accounting for 10.7% of maternal deaths in the world. Maternal sepsis may create a harmful environment for the unborn baby, or it may introduce harm to the child around the time of its birth. How much maternal sepsis can affect the health of the baby is not well understood. Our project will be the first nationwide study in Canada to see if there is a connection between maternal sepsis and the well-being of the baby. We will also look at other factors, such as where a woman lives and her social and economic status, and how these factors may amplify the relationship between maternal sepsis and their newborn's health. To do so, we will use existing information of 4 million moms and their babies (called mom and baby pairs) in a large Canadian health database. We believe that our research will help healthcare providers to prevent or treat maternal sepsis. It may also improve the condition of the unborn baby, and the subsequent health of the newborn baby, by preventing maternal sepsis altogether. We also wish to identify ways to optimize maternal sepsis prevention or early treatment across different regions. For example, we will share existing evidence-based protocols to prevent mom-baby infection, and to find ways to ensure that resources are available to take mothers at high risk of sepsis to specialty care centres equipped with the right resources for moms and babies-to-be.