Deadly Deliveries: U.S. Is the Most Dangerous Place to Give Birth in The Developed World  

Results of a recent USA Today study showed that maternal deaths are at an all-time high in the U.S. The United States has the highest maternal death rate of any developed country and hospitals are doing little to curtail the trend, say several sources.

Hospitals that do not follow proper safety measures contribute to women experiencing life-altering injuries during delivery and immediately afterwards, the study claims. In short, hospitals could do more.

The reality of maternal deaths in the U.S.

Every developed country across the globe experienced lower maternal death rates in recent years, with the exception of the United States. The USA Today report said that two women die during childbirth nearly every day in the U.S., averaging 700 maternal deaths each year. An estimated 50,000 U.S. women experience serious childbirth complications and potentially life-threatening injuries every year.

Study author Allison Young wrote that too many hospitals and medical workers fail to follow safety steps. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also fails to take aggressive measures to reduce maternal deaths. The agency does not require that hospitals report the same complication rates or other data for mothers giving birth that the agency requires for seniors.

USA Today is not the only entity recently investigating maternal deaths and complications. National Public Radio (NPR) and ProPublica released their findings from a one-year investigation into why so many American mothers die during childbirth.

The anecdotes include a mother in a coma for more than a month after developing a near-death infection to a woman who began hemorrhaging weeks after childbirth. Doctors told her the heavy bleeding was “normal.” The doctor wrote that she came in with a normal period and “Suddenly hemorrhaged,” reports NPR. She lost half the blood in her body because her “normal” bleeding was actually a serious condition called placental site vessel sub involution (VSI).

Lifesaving tips for safer births

USA Today released the “Lifesaving Tips For A Safer Birth,” listing tips and questions that you should use when assessing a hospital’s ability and willingness to treat high blood pressure or excessive bleeding.

Some questions include:

• Does the hospital measure blood loss during and after childbirth?
• How does the hospital assess and prepare for your risk of excessive bleeding?
• If needed, does the hospital have a policy to make sure I get the right medications fast?

Some skyrocketing maternal deaths and complications are possibly medical malpractice, which requires negligence on the part of the provider. Leighton Panoff Law specializes in representing victims of medical mistakes. Call to talk with a medical malpractice expert.