According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 650 American women die each year as a result of complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The United States has a higher maternal mortality ratio than over 40 other countries. The CDC reported that at least 50% of those deaths are preventable. Pregnancy-associated death is defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within one year of termination of pregnancy. Although not all pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, a disturbing number of preventable deaths still plague our health system. Maternal mortality can be caused by a plethora of medical conditions, including:
- Hypertension
- Peripartum cardiomyopathy
- Placental abruption
- Hemorrhage
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Surgical errors during a C-section
- Thromboembolism
- Infection
- Amniotic fluid embolism
- Anesthesia errors
Failure to manage these and other conditions turns what should be one of the most momentous and happy occasions of a woman’s life to a tragic one.
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