While developed countries around the world have seen a dip in maternal mortality rates, the U.S. has experienced an uptick in recent years. An estimated 700 women now die annually in the U.S. due to complications from pregnancy or giving birth, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A May 16, 2018 segment on ABC’s Nightline explored the potential factors behind the increase in such deaths and featured Neel Shah, director of the Delivery Decisions Initiative at Ariadne Labs. “As a mom you can be as healthy as can be, can have the best prenatal care in the world,” Shah said. “In spite of all of that, things can still go wrong because the system that’s set up to take care of you isn’t reliable.”
The segment followed Shah for 24 hours as he worked on the labor and delivery floor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Shah emphasized the importance of communication among nurses, doctors, and patients to reduce potential risks.
Watch ABC’s Nightline segment: Dying to deliver: The race to prevent sudden death of new mothers