U.S. Is the Most Dangerous Place in Developed World to Give Birth

A recent article in USA TODAY highlighted some dangerous truths about giving birth in the United States. Writer Alison Young researched four years for her article “Hospitals know how to protect mothers. They just aren’t doing it.” Her article shared the news that the U.S. is currently the most dangerous place in the developed world for women to give birth.

Every year, more than 50,000 mothers suffer birth injuries during and after childbirth, and around 700 die. The most distressing thing about Young’s research is that at least half of these injuries and deaths are preventable. And further, USA TODAY found that if there are complications during or after childbirth, most medical professionals fail to act properly or quickly enough to prevent serious or even fatal injury.

According to the article, the maternal injury and mortality in the United States reached 26.4 per 100,000 births in 2015, which is the third highest in the developed world. Maternal injury rates have soared throughout the country. The only exception? California. With hospitals and medical safety experts working together to implement new practices, they have reduced their mortality rate by 50 percent.

However, even with California’s success, the rest of the country has yet to catch up. Dr. Steven Clark, a childbirth safety expert and professor at Baylor College of Medicine, has strong feelings about the issue. “Our medicine is run by cowboys today, where everyone is riding the range doing whatever they’re wanting to do,” he said. “While there are hospitals that follow best safety practices, change is happening slowly. It’s a failure at all levels, at national organization levels and at the local hospital leadership levels as well.”

High blood pressure and bleeding

According to USA TODAY, there are two common complications associated with childbirth: hypertension (high blood pressure) and bleeding (hemorrhaging). After going through their data, the paper found that 60% of maternal deaths caused by hypertension and 90% of deaths caused by hemorrhage could have been prevented if addressed earlier. These are shocking statistics and may be considered post-partum negligence.

If hospital staff took more preventative action, like administering medication earlier or more accurately measuring the mother’s blood loss during and after delivery, many lives could be saved. For example, as the article points out, medical protocol for hypertension calls for treatment within 60 minutes. Yet only 31 hospitals reported that they actually use this protocol. And, out of those 31, only nine said they keep track of how often that protocol is even followed.

Regarding hemorrhaging, with the majority of women, medical staff typically visually estimate a mother’s blood loss on pads. This can be extremely dangerous, especially in cases of internal bleeding. Staff should get a more accurate measurement of blood loss by weighing the pads.

USA TODAY also printed tapes of a training session with the American Hospital Association from 2015 where they appeared to discuss the safety issue. “We’re not talking about a Third World country, we’re talking about us, here,” a trainer said. “This shouldn’t be happening here.” The trainer also said that most of the deaths “were absolutely preventable.”

Having a baby should be the happiest time of your life. If you or your child were injured during childbirth, you deserve compensation. The birth injury attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC can help you and your family. We serve the residents of Memphis, Jackson, and West Tennessee. Call us today at 901-680-9777 or complete our contact form to schedule a consultation with our experienced team.