TY - JOUR T1 - The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths 2015: lessons for GPs JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 233 LP - 234 DO - 10.3399/bjgp17X690845 VL - 67 IS - 658 AU - Judy Shakespeare AU - Marian Knight Y1 - 2017/05/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/67/658/233.abstract N2 - The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths began in 1952 and has led to major improvements in care for pregnant and postnatal women.Between 2011 and 2013 there were 240 maternal deaths during or up to 6 weeks after pregnancy, giving a maternal death rate of 9 in every 100 000 women, a statistically significant decrease compared with 2009– 2012.1 Two-thirds of the deaths were due to medical and mental health comorbidities and one-third were due to obstetric causes. There has been no significant change in deaths from medical and mental health condition causes over the last 10 years. The surveillance data in this article covers 2011–2013, but cases from 2009–2013 were reviewed because the Enquiry was suspended during 2009–2010. Different conditions leading to death are covered in each report. In this article the focus will be on thromboembolic disease, mental illness, homicide, domestic violence, and late deaths (more than 6 weeks after birth).Forty eight women died from pregnancy-related venous thrombosis or thromboembolism (VTE) during or up to 6 weeks after pregnancy between 2009 and 2013. One-quarter died in the first trimester of pregnancy, before usual maternity booking, although many had risk factors. GPs need to be aware of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists green-top guidelines;2 if they see a woman prior to booking and consider that she is at high or medium risk, they should refer urgently for advice on thromboprophylaxis.On several occasions, despite being assessed as at … ER -