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  • Pregnancy-Related Deaths: Sepsis and Other Infections

    Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Galfand Berger, LLP, Representing Injured Victims Since 1947The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal death as the death of a woman while pregnant, during childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy. While the United States is often regarded as the global forerunner in technology, science, and healthcare, it has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among other high-income countries. Although some pregnancy and childbirth-related fatalities are unavoidable, the reality is that most deaths that occur are 100% preventable.

    What Is Sepsis? Causes, Symptoms, and More

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, maternal deaths rose from 17.4 (per 100,000 live births) in January 2019 to 20.9 in January 2023. There are many culprits behind dangerous pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, like high blood pressure, severe bleeding, and complications from delivery – but some of the very deadliest are infections like sepsis. Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune system has an extreme response to infection. Infections that lead to sepsis can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites. While anyone can get sepsis, infants and pregnant people are some of the most vulnerable.

    There are two types of sepsis most frequently attributed to pregnancy and childbirth: maternal sepsis and neonatal sepsis. Neonatal sepsis is a blood infection that occurs in infants under 90 days old; some of the most common causes of neonatal sepsis are herpes simplex virus (HSV) and group B streptococcus, otherwise known as GBS. Maternal sepsis occurs during pregnancy or after delivery. Individuals face greater chances of developing maternal sepsis if they have any of the following types of infections:

    • Endometritis
    • Urinary tract infection, or UTI
    • Cesarean delivery (or c-section) wounds
    • Pregnancy loss or abortion
    • Respiratory illness
    • Meningitis, or swelling around the brain and spinal cord
    • Postpartum hemorrhage or excessive bleeding

    When a person develops sepsis, they can experience symptoms like extreme pain, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, fever, changes in mental status, skin changes, decreased urine output, low blood pressure, and confusion.

    Preventing Sepsis: Screenings and Other Ways to Lower Risks

    The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) primary mission is to improve health and save lives through research into disease prevention, causes, and cures. One of the areas that the agency’s researchers have been working on is how to reduce maternal deaths that result from sepsis. Here is some of what they have found:

    • Prevent and treat all infections that present during and after pregnancy. Although screening for maternal sepsis can be difficult because some natural pregnancy-related changes, like a faster heart rate, can mirror the symptoms of sepsis, there are certain screening tools that healthcare providers can utilize. The tools are “pregnancy-adjusted”, meaning that they account for the specific changes that occur during pregnancy. Screenings done between 20 weeks of pregnancy and three days after delivery proved to be more accurate when the provider used a pregnancy-adjusted tool. Screenings that occur outside of that time frame should be performed with tools that are not pregnancy-adjusted.
    • Screen for HSV and GBS during pregnancy.
    • If you have GBS or chorioamnionitis, an infection of the amniotic fluid, or have given birth to a baby with sepsis caused by bacteria, take antibiotics.
    • Individuals should deliver within 12 to 24 hours of their water breaking. Cesarean deliveries should occur within six hours of the water-breaking
    • Give birth in a sanitary place.
    • Researchers also found that single-dose antibiotics have the ability to reduce sepsis-related risks after pregnancy. Women who delivered their babies vaginally had a lower risk of developing sepsis if they were given one dose of azithromycin.

     

    When to Contact an Attorney?

    Despite the fact that most cases of sepsis that occur during and after pregnancy are preventable, hundreds of thousands of people are injured or killed by medical mistakes in the United States each year. Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor, hospital, or other medical provider fails to follow their industry’s professional standards of care, causing harm or death to a patient. Some of the most common types of medical mistakes that providers make are misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, surgical errors, anesthesia errors, birth injuries, and failure to treat.

    If you or a loved one became a victim of medical malpractice after developing sepsis during or after pregnancy, someone at our firm can help. If you would like to learn more about filing a legal claim, contact a representative online now.

     

    Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Galfand Berger, LLP, Representing Injured Victims Since 1947

    Contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys at Galfand Berger LLP today. Call us at 800-222-USWA (8792) or fill out our online form for a free consultation. Located in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and Reading, we serve clients throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Allentown and Harrisburg.

    ALLENTOWN/BETHLEHEM
    1-800-222-USWA (8792)

    LANCASTER
    717-824-3376

    READING
    610-376-1696