Maternal mortality rates increasing

On Behalf of | Jul 30, 2015 | Birth Injuries

People in New Mexico may be shocked to learn that unlike other western countries, the U.S. has demonstrated an increasing rate of women dying due to pregnancy-related complications. Reportedly, in the 10-year period between 2003 and 2013, the U.S. was among the only eight countries in the world that had increasing, rather than decreasing, maternal mortality rates. Among the other countries that showed increases were such places as the Sudan and Afghanistan.

Statistics show that American women are more than three times likely to die due to pregnancy complications than are their counterparts in the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. There are multiple factors that are correlated with the increasing death rate, among them the fact that more women are entering into pregnancy in less healthier states and at older ages.

It is believed by some observers that doctors have failed to adjust their protocols for women who are overweight or obese, who have hypertension, have diabetes or who have heart disease. By failing to adjust obstetrics care for women who are suffering from these risk factors, physicians are doing little to arrest the rates of death.

Delivery room errors can result in serious injury to both mothers and their infants, and such errors may also cause their deaths. A mother who is harmed due to medical errorsmay want to seek a consultation with a medical malpractice attorney to determine if there are any methods available to seek compensation for the losses that have been sustained. Legal counsel may be able to demonstrate negligence on the part of a health care practitioner or facility through a review of the patient’s medical records as well as by the opinions of experts.

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