What's Causing the Increase in Child Birth Deaths Related to Regional Anesthesia?
The number of women dying during childbirth in the United States has decreased dramatically over the past few decades. There's also been a decline in the number of deaths linked to the use of general anesthesia. However, what's alarming to Indiana medical malpractice attorneys is that there has been a slight increase in the number of maternal childbirth deaths linked to the use of regional anesthesia, including epidurals and spinal blocks.
Researchers in a new US study used information from a government database on pregnancy-related deaths around the country. Deaths from general anesthesia during a C-section increased from 17 deaths per million C-sections between 1991 and 1996, to 6.5 deaths per million C-sections between 1997 and 2002. However, there were 2.5 deaths per million C-sections linked to regional anesthesia between 1991 and 1996, and that number had increased to 3.8 deaths per million C-sections between 1997 and 2002.
2002 is the last year for which statistics are available, and there is no information about the regional anesthesia-related childbirth death rates since then. There's also no solid information available about why there has been an increase in regional anesthesia -related childbirth deaths, even when there has been an overall decline in maternal mortality. One theory seems to be that healthcare professionals have been overly focused on preventing maternal deaths linked to general anesthesia, because this type of anesthesia is typically considered riskier. This excessive focus on making general anesthesia safer could have been to the detriment of regional anesthesia.
However, as Indiana medical malpractice attorneys often see, cases of maternal C-section-related childbirth distress don't have to end in mortality, if the delivery room is equipped with resuscitation gear and other medical aids.
