Table 1 WHO-MCS-A severity classification of abortion complications [18] and adaptations to reflect the Sub-Saharan Africa healthcare context

Mild complications

• abnormal physical examination findings on initial assessment

(vital signs, appearance, mental status, abdominal examination, gynaecological examination)

Same

Moderate complications

• severe bleeding,

• abdominal syndrome,

• and/or uterine infection

Same

Potentially Life-Threatening Complications (PLTC):

• severe systemic infection,

• uterine perforation

• and/or severe haemorrhage

Same with these adaptations:

• severe haemorrhage:

  o adding a threshold for systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg

  o adding bleeding + Hb < 4 g/dL to the definition

• adding the following conditions:

  o generalized peritonitis

  o other intra-abdominal perforation

Severe Maternal Outcome (SMO)

• deaths at discharge

• + near- miss cases defined by the WHO near-miss criteria [52] for organ dysfunction of either one or more of the following: cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, hepatic, neurological, uterine or coagulation/hematologic dysfunction (with transfusion of ≥5 units of blood)

Same except coagulation/hematologic dysfunction using transfusion of ≥2 units of blood as a threshold