CDC Report Shows U.S. Maternal Mortality Affects Women Up to a Year After Delivery: Most Deaths Preventable
A 2019 CDC report casts light on a tragic reality in the United States: too many American women are dying from pregnancy-related complications up to a year after delivering their babies. A report released by the CDC today underscores the tragedy. The report found that including maternal deaths during pregnancy, at birth, or within 42 days of birth, the overall 2018 U.S. maternal mortality rate was 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. Clearly, the rate would be higher if it had included deaths up to 52 weeks after birth. The U.S. ranks 10th for maternal mortality among 10 other similarly wealthy countries.
CDC report shows that American maternal mortality affects women up to a year postpartum
About 700 mothers dies during pregnancy and childbirth related complications in the U.S. every year. A full 33 percent of those deaths happen at some point in the first year after women have given birth. When a death happens in the postpartum period it can be because of a health condition created or made worse by the pregnancy and/or complications from childbirth. High blood pressure, infection and severe bleeding were the most common causes of maternal death in the week following childbirth while weakened heart muscles was the most common cause of death for fatalities that occurred at some point in the first year after birth.
Most maternal deaths are preventable
What we need to understand is that about 60 percent of these deaths could be prevented. According to the CDC, preventable deaths occur due to lack of access to health care, missing warning signs and missed or delayed diagnoses. By some estimates, up to 40 percent of American women do not go for any kind of postpartum visit with a healthcare provider because of lack of access. The United States is also the only developed nation in the world that does not offer maternity leave, which means that some new moms are forced to return to work at just two weeks postpartum.
Medical malpractice claims for missed diagnosis
Women with diagnosed heart conditions require special postpartum care because pregnancy and childbirth put a strain on the heart and circulatory system by increasing blood volume by up to 50 percent. If you lost a loved one during the postpartum period because of a failure to diagnose a heart condition, seek the help of a medical malpractice attorney right away.
Other common reasons for failure to diagnose maternal health conditions during a pregnancy:
- Failure to detect/monitor infections in the mother
- Failure to detect/monitor/treat gestational diabetes or preeclampsia
- Failure to review the mother’s medical history
- Failure to conduct a thorough medical exam
- Failure to order appropriate tests or screenings
Seek the help of a birth injury attorney
If you or your infant sustained a birth injury because of medical negligence or you lost a loved one due to a preventable medical error or missed diagnosis during or after birth, you have enough to deal with. Let an experienced birth injury attorney fight for justice on your behalf. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a medical negligence lawyer. Call the most experienced practicing medical malpractice attorneys Bellingham has at Tario & Associates, P.S. today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing people injured by medical negligence in Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
