According to CDC experts, the prevalence of cardiac arrest among women hospitalized after childbirth is one in 9,000, which is greater than previously thought.
We conducted the study to improve methods to lower fatalities among pregnant women by better knowing how frequently this occurs during childbirth, according to the researcher. At the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities of the CDC, Dr. Romeo Galanga is a physician.
Positively, according to Galang, around two-thirds of women who undergo cardiac arrest during labor survive.
When the heart unexpectedly stops pumping, cardiac arrest happens. A medical emergency has arisen.
Women who are older, black, or covered by Medicare and Medicaid are most at risk for cardiac arrest after childbirth. Those who have underlying medical issues including high blood pressure, mental illness, addiction to drugs or alcohol, or heart disease are also at risk.
Galang emphasized the importance of women coordinating their medical care with their doctor in order to be as healthy as possible before and during pregnancy. “Realize true health care optimization. It’s crucial, crucial, “added he.
According to Galang, obstetricians must be prepared in case their pregnant patients experience cardiac arrest and be aware of the potential risk involved. Along with having the necessary tools and training to do emergency CPR, this also means being prepared to perform a cesarean section in an emergency.
Health professional who was not involved in the study emphasized that it is still an uncommon event.
According to Dr. Jill Mhyre, professor and department chair of anesthesiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, cardiac arrest is a very uncommon consequence of labor. It is so uncommon that many professionals who work in obstetric care never have to deal with it.
According to this study, even if the frequency may be rising, more patients are making it to hospital release, according to Mhyre. “From 1998 to 2011, there were 1 in every 12,000 births, and 59% of mothers survived. According to these new statistics, cardiac arrest currently hits 1 in 9,000 women who give birth, and 69% of them survive, for the years 2017 to 2019 “She said.
From 2017 to 2019, Galang’s team gathered information for the study from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Study National Inpatient Sample. Also, they examined patient traits linked to cardiac arrest survival. The cardiac arrest rate was 13.4 per 100,000 hospital deliveries, according to the study.
Unfortunately, neither the reason of the cardiac arrest nor the timing of the maternal difficulties could be established by the researchers.
Doctor Victor Klein, an obstetric-gynecology specialist at Northwell Health in Great Neck, New York, stated that “Changes in patient populations, increased obesity, comorbidities, advanced maternal age, advances in reproductive technology, and medical problems complicating pregnancy have increased the number of patients with higher medical acuity who achieve pregnancy.”
The social determinants of health, advanced age, black patients, and those with existing medical issues may all be at elevated risk for unfavorable results, according to Klein, who was not involved in the study.
Before becoming pregnant, patients with high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, and heart disease benefit from a checkup. He suggested that you consult a cardiologist and/or a specialist in fetal medicine.
When treating cardiac arrest, doctors must act quickly.
It’s crucial to understand there are two patients involved if a woman experiences cardiac arrest while pregnant, according to Klein. The fetus is deprived of oxygen from the placenta when cardiac arrest happens. Cesarean section decisions shouldn’t be put off because newborn survival is connected with delivery time: 96% if delivered in under 5 minutes, and 70% if delivered in over 5 minutes.”
Finding the reason for the arrest is another crucial consideration, according to Klein. The majority (10%) of maternal deaths are caused by bleeding. Shock, acute renal failure, and cardiac arrest can all result from bleeding.
Galang and Klein both agreed that physicians should be prepared to take action if a cardiac arrest occurred.
Having to practice CPR and advanced cardiac life support, as well as learning how to handle bleeding, can boost the survival rate of moms dealing with this significant but uncommon issue, according to Klein.
sources include Dr. Romeo Galang of the National Institute on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities of the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Jill Mhyre is a professor and the chair of the department of anesthesia at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Dr. Victor Klein is the system director for quality and patient safety for the Obstetrics and Gynecology Service Line at Northwell Health in Great Neck, New York.
