Puerperal infection: a literature review

The pregnancy-puerperal cycle is understood from the fertilization to the end of the puerperium. In this period, woman requires differentiated and individualized care in order to achieve a physiological pregnancy, delivery and postpartum. However, puerperal infection still remains a major public health problem, evidenced by its high prevalence of morbidity and lethality. The objective was to review and discuss the studies on puerperal infection published in the period from 2010 to 2015. A systematic literature review was developed. For the search in the Virtual Health Library, we used the Descriptors: Puerperal Infection; Postpartum Period and Maternal Mortality. Initially, the search returned 239 articles related to the descriptors. After considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the sample resulted in eight studies. The evaluation of the findings pointed to puerperal infection as one of the main causes of maternal death. Unnecessary cesarean sections increases the incidence of puerperal infection and puts maternal health at risk.