Postpartum Hemorrhage: Identifying Risks Saves Lives

In the United States in 2018, there were 17 maternal deaths for every 100,000 births, which is double the rate in other high-income countries such as Canada and France, which averaged 8 deaths per 100,000 births, according to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics.

A recent study published in the journal healthcare on safety culture within delivery rooms suggests there is room for improvement in terms of staffing, communication and organizational management.

The study was led by Abigail Wooldridge, assistant professor of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at The University of Illinois. Wooldridge recently sat down with Managed Healthcare Executive to discuss the findings of her team.

“If you can't get the bleeding under control, someone will die,” Wooldridge said in an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive. “One of the last resort treatments for postpartum hemorrhage would be a hysterectomy. Our work is arguing that we need to find systems and processes and structures that can help support clinicians in anticipating risk, detecting the hemorrhage and then responding in an appropriate, timely way.”

Abigail Wooldridge

Postpartum hemorrhage is defined as heavy bleeding after childbirth, specifically more than 500 mL of estimated blood loss in a vaginal delivery or more than 1000 mL of estimated blood loss during Cesarean delivery. It requires immediate medical attention.