It’s an unfortunate reality that the number of maternal deaths has been steadily rising for decades. In fact, during the 1980s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated a survey conducted nationally to gather information to better understand the clinical reasons for these deaths.
From a technical point of view, a pregnancy-related death can occur within a year of pregnancy or within a year of pregnancy termination. It can be the result of any issue related to the pregnancy. However, a pregnancy related death would not involve a woman’s death from an accident. After studying data from across the United States related to woman that died as a result of pregnancy, the CDC was able to ascertain critical information. Some of the documents reviewed by the CDC included death certificates of women that died during pregnancy as well as fetal death certificates.
The breadth of information obtained was analyzed by trained medical professionals, such as epidemiologists, to get a better understanding of how and why the deaths occurred. This type of deep analysis of data has taken place since about 1986. The information has been coded using methods developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Maternal Mortality Study Group and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). It’s important to understand the broad scope of the information obtained.
In addition to epidemiologists, other clinicians and physicians have studied the data in an effort to understand and prevent pregnancy-related deaths in the future. The ultimate goal is to implement medical procedures and take any other required steps to halt the trend of an increasing number of maternal deaths. The CDC uses a formula to assess the nation’s health. This formula yields the pregnancy-related mortality ratio, which looks at 100,000 live births to determine the number of deaths that occurred within that sample.
While there have been declines during some years as a result of improved technology, there remains an overall troubling trend of an increasing number of deaths. Implementation of a Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System has been valuable because it has allowed the CDC to assess statistics for the purpose of finding solutions. For instance, from 1987 to 2011, there was an increase in deaths from 7.2 per 100,000 live births to 17.8 per 100,000 live births. Unfortunately, that increase continued in subsequent years.
Despite the extensive studies performed, there hasn’t been a cause attributed to the increase in pregnancy-related deaths. However, there are some speculations, such as the rise in health problems among Americans. For instance, some medical professionals believe the high rates of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease contribute to the rise in maternal deaths. In other words, as the nation gets sicker overall, the number of pregnancy-related deaths is likely to rise because certain health issues can complicate pregnancy.
Analysis of data has caused some to conclude that increased pregnancy-related deaths from 2009 through 2011 was the result of infections caused by sepsis. During this same timeframe, it was also believed that the flu epidemic contributed to an increase in the number of pregnancy-related deaths across the United States. The data has also revealed that an increase in pregnancy-related deaths between 2011 and 2013 occurred because of cardiovascular disease. Despite the many advances in technology, as well as the extensive amount of training received by medical professionals, the number of maternal deaths continued to rise between 2011 and 2013.
Part of the responsibility of hospital administrators, doctors, labor and delivery nurses, midwives, obstetricians and other medical providers in Chicago, Illinois is to implement methods, processes and safety practices to prevent pregnancy-related deaths altogether. This is a charge for medical providers around the world. All medical personnel involved in the labor and delivery process are aware of the mortality issues that exist and play an important role in safeguarding the health of women while and after they give birth.
If you know someone that has been injured or has died during or after labor and delivery, there’s a possibility that the situation falls within the formal definition of a pregnancy-related death. If you believe that the neglect of a medical professional was the cause of an injury or maternal death of a loved one, contact Zayed Law Offices to discuss the matter. The team at Zayed Law Offices is equipped to provide the guidance and direction you need regarding pregnancy mortality issues.
The experts at Zayed Law Offices have helped many of their clients obtain the compensation they deserve as a result of negligence. They have a proven record of success, particularly as it relates to injuries sustained as a result of medical mistakes. Every client is a top priority at Zayed Law Offices and a member of the team is available to provide clarity concerning pregnancy-related injuries or answer any questions that you might have.