The 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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.