CALL TO ACTION: US Maternal Mortality and CVD

The CDC confirmed in a report recently released that about 700 women die each year in the United States from cardiovascular conditions, infections, hemorrhages and other complications related to their pregnancies — up to a year after delivering their babies. In about 60% of the cases, the deaths could have been prevented, in part, with proper medical intervention, better access to care, and early recognition of risk factors/signs. The leading cause of death is CV conditions, such as heart disease and stroke, which accounts for 33% of pregnancy-related deaths. Infections account for nearly 13%, and obstetric hemorrhage accounts for 11%. In this session, we will review the ACOG practice bulletin (#212) as well as the CDC recent report on maternal mortality and cardiovascular disease.