3 out of 5 pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, study says

More than 400 women in the United States who lose their lives each year from pregnancy-related deaths should be alive, according to a report from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. 

The CDC report says three out of five pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. The report is based on analysis of national data collected from 2011-2015. 

Each death was associated with several factors, including a lack of quality care, missed or delayed diagnosis, or lack of knowledge among both patients and providers about warning signs, according to the report. 

Heart disease and stroke accounted for about one out of every three deaths, while infections and severe bleeding also listed among the top culprits. 

Samantha Kenning, Clinical Resource Nurse, Labor & Delivery with Bryan Health, is part of a committee the hospital has that focuses on safe practices for childbirth. She says Bryan has worked to increase education to help prevent pregnancy-related deaths. 

“We have educated our nurses quarterly with simulations each year for the past few years,” Kenning said. “And then with that education, it’s multidisciplinary with providers, physicians, nurses, anesthesia, even students from Bryan College.” 

Similar to the CDC report, Kenning says there are several reasons why these deaths occur. 

“Those freak accidents that happen,” Kenning said. “Some have to deal with sepsis, some are delayed recognition and that’s why those initiatives have come up of recognizing… when you need to intervene quicker.”

The CDC says 31 percent of the deaths happen during pregnancy, another 36 percent during delivery or shortly after, and the rest come a week to one year after delivery. 

You can read the full report from the CDC here: full report.