The Sepsis Alliance pointed recently to a new report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that indicates some 700 mothers in the U.S. die of pregnancy-related or post-pregnancy complications annually, and some of those deaths are attributed to sepsis. About one-third of the deaths occur during pregnancy and the rest during the post-partum period – up to one year after delivery. Worse, approximately three in five were preventable. Also, black women and American Indian/ Alaska Native women are three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than are white women.
“The United States is the only developed country in which the maternal mortality rate is increasing. This increase is partially driven by maternal sepsis,” said Thomas Heymann, Sepsis Alliance President and Executive Director in a statement. “It’s critical to us as an organization to address the maternal mortality crisis by increasing maternal sepsis awareness among women, their partners, and healthcare providers.”
According to the CDC, the leading causes of death among pregnant or post-partum women are cardiovascular conditions (more than 33 percent of deaths), infection (12.5 percent of deaths), and hemorrhage (11.2 percent of deaths). Infection can occur any time in the pregnancy and post-partum periods, but the first 6 days following delivery is the period when the highest number of infections occur.
Sepsis is a major factor in pregnancy and post-partum deaths in the U.S. says the Alliance, noting that out of every 10,000 live births each year, four to 10 mothers develop sepsis, which increases the risk of death to mother and child. Pregnant women who develop infections that trigger sepsis are at increased risk of delivering prematurely and having a prolonged recovery following delivery.
As part of sepsis awareness outreach, the Alliance encourages the public to learn the memory aid TIME:
· Temperature: higher or lower than normal
· Infection: may have signs and symptoms of infection
· Mental decline: confused, sleepy, difficult to rouse
· Extremely ill: “I feel like I might die,” severe pain or discomfort
“Unfortunately, this can be challenging in this group,” stated the Alliance. “Changes that occur in a woman’s body while she is pregnant or after delivery or miscarriage can mask sepsis symptoms. She usually needs to urinate more often because of the pressure the baby puts on her bladder, but frequent urination is also a symptom of a urinary tract infection. Her heart beats faster, her blood pressure may drop, and she may breathe more quickly than normal after delivering. Women may continue to have pain, or feel light-headed after giving birth, and feeling chilled or sweaty after delivering a baby are all normal reactions. These are all possible signs of sepsis too.”
Other risk factors for women who are pregnant or recently gave birth include having a cesarean section, prolonged or obstructed labor, premature rupture membranes, cerclage (cervical stitch), placental abruption, emergency surgery, and limited or no prenatal care. Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common cause of maternal sepsis.
Sepsis Alliance recently released a free downloadable infographic to help women who are expecting and who have recently given birth learn the signs and symptoms of maternal sepsis, the associated risk factors, and when to seek medical attention. In tandem, Sepsis Alliance released an online toolkit to help anyone raise awareness of maternal sepsis.
To help educate healthcare providers, Sepsis Alliance is collaborating with the Ohio Hospital Association to present the Maternal Sepsis Webinar. During this webinar, healthcare providers will learn how to recognize and treat maternal sepsis.
