ABSTRACT
Maternal stroke is a significant cause of severe maternal morbidity and mortality. This chapter describes maternal stroke risk factors and subtypes, reviews the typical signs and symptoms of maternal stroke, proposes an approach to the “OB Stroke Alert” to be used in the out-of-hospital, emergency triage, and inpatient settings, and reviews special considerations in post-stroke care for pregnant or postpartum people. Far from being a single disorder, “stroke” is a heterogeneous collection of acute cerebrovascular disorders. There are two broad categories and many subcategories of stroke. The first is ischemic stroke, caused by interruption of blood supply to a specific area of brain, retina, or spinal cord. The second is hemorrhagic stroke, defined as non-traumatic bleeding into the subarachnoid space, ventricles, or brain parenchyma. Stroke risk factors during pregnancy and postpartum appears in the center surrounded by important risk factors such as age, hypertensive disorders, hypercoagulable states, infection, heart disease, etc.
