A One-Day Symposium on “Maternal Cardiac Arrest”

On Saturday, 22 August 2026, the Medical Professional Education Deanery (MPED), in collaboration with the OBGYN Department of Northwest General Hospital & Research Centre, Peshawar, organized a one-day symposium on “Maternal Cardiac Arrest.” The event brought together obstetricians, and trainees to address one of pregnancy’s rarest yet most lethal emergencies, a mother’s heart stopping, leaving only minutes to save two lives at once.

Maternal cardiac arrest occurs in roughly 1 in every 12,000 deliveries. Even with resuscitation, survival to hospital discharge is only 40–60%, falling to near 15% in out-of-hospital settings. Pakistan’s maternal mortality ratio stands at 155–186 per 100,000 live births, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s at 165, underscoring the critical need for local preparedness.

Sessions covered pregnancy-specific resuscitation physiology and the evidence-based 4-minute rule: if CPR fails to restore circulation within four minutes, an emergency cesarean delivery must begin immediately at the bedside, as this tight window determines both maternal and neonatal survival. Hands-on simulation drills helped participants turn abstract protocol into practiced reflex. “Maternal cardiac arrest gives us minutes, not hours,” organizers emphasized. “Every team member must know their role before the emergency happens, not during it.”

The symposium closed with a joint commitment to establish regular resuscitation drills and implement stronger early-warning systems across Peshawar’s maternity units. This initiative reflects MPED’s broader mission of advancing continuous medical education, postgraduate specialty training, and clinical skill development. Through practical simulation workshops, certified life-support courses, and multidisciplinary academic symposiums, MPED continues to equip healthcare practitioners and trainees with evidence-based protocols to enhance patient safety and clinical outcomes across the region.