According to a report by USA Today, the United States is the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world. Each year, more than 50,000 women are injured and about 700 die during or after childbirth. Half of these deaths and injuries are preventable with the proper care.
To make matters worse, hospitals know what the proper care is – they just choose not to follow those standards. In 2010, researchers began putting together toolkits of best practices for childbirth that demonstrably saved lives. By 2014, the AIM Program had formalized these recommendations into “safety bundles” that specified exactly what hospitals needed to do to best serve their patients.
Yet, a disturbingly high number of hospitals do not follow these standards. Exact numbers are hard to find, because many hospitals declined to comment at all and the government does not keep track. But roughly speaking, it seems that only about half the women giving birth in America are receiving the treatment that hospitals could and should be giving them in emergency situations.
Some common causes of injury and death in childbirth in the United States include high blood pressure, internal bleeding, seizure, and strokes. The Aim Program includes stipulations about these problems, but many hospitals fail to identify or treat them in time. This leads many women to endure forced hysterectomies, other lasting or permanent damage to their bodies, and even death.
If you were injured during childbirth and suspect the hospital might be to blame, contact Spiros Law, P.C. at (815) 929-9292 right away. We may be able to help you pursue compensation and justice for your pain and suffering.
