Risk Management in Obstetrics Essay

researchers stated that SIDS babies probably have a defect in the brain neurochemicals that usually operate the protective responses to changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.(IntelliHealth 3)

Giving birth to a baby is the most amazing and miraculous experiences for parents and their loved ones. Every woman’s birth story is different and full of joy. Furthermore, the process from the moment a woman knows that she’s pregnant to being in the delivering room is very critical to both her and the newborn baby. Prenatal care is extremely important and it can impact greatly the quality of life of the baby. In this paper, the topic of giving birth will be discussed thoroughly by describing the stories of two mothers who gave birth in different decades and see how their prenatal cares are different from each other with correlation of the advancement of modern medicine between four decades.

Childbirth is one of the greatest privileges on the earth anyone could have and we, as women, should feel proud to be major contributors for it. Thus, a mother has to play a key role in aiding the healthcare workers to mitigate the health crisis associated with childbirth by performing her duties faithfully. One such associated health crisis is “Premature (preterm) birth” which occurs when the baby is born too early, before 37 weeks of gestational period (CDC, 2015). The rate of preterm birth ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born across 184 countries (WHO, 2015).

Maternal mortality represents more than the loss of lives for individual women, as it also reflects the larger value and prioritization of women 's health and threatens the health and survival of families, young children, and even the communities in which they live (Royston and Armstrong, 1989). Maternal mortality is unacceptably high (WHO, 2015b). Globally, approximately 830 women die every day from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications (ibid.). The causes of maternal mortality are predominately preventable and can be classified into three fundamental causes: (1) medical - consisting of direct medical problems and pre-existent/coexistent medical problems that are aggravated by pregnancy, (2) underlying - social and legal conditions, and (3) health systems laws and policies that address availability, accessibility, and quality of reproductive health services (PHP et al, 2011).

In the 20th century, 95% of young women know about contraception and at least 88% will be able to give birth in a hospital or clinic. This

The intent of this paper is to examine effective solutions for reducing cesarean deliveries. Cesarean deliveries involve more risk to both the mother and baby than vaginal births do. Cesarean deliveries have a higher potential of complications than vaginal births. Cesarean deliveries cost more, require longer hospital stays, and require more resources—both human and systemic—than vaginal births.

A 21 year old woman, who was 20 weeks pregnant, was brought into the emergency department after being found unconscious and without a pulse for an unknown time after an apparent heroin overdose. Emergency medical services secured her airway with an endotracheal tube and initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation, resulting in return of spontaneous circulation. The patient was stabilized and admitted to an intensive care unit for treatment. Multiple neurological assessments, an electroencephalogram and magnetic resonance imaging were performed. Results showed irreversible anoxic brain injury and clinical diagnosis of brain death. Fetal medicine assessed the patient and found a normal fetal heart rate and fetal movement. The father of the child

The cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been poorly understood for years. The definition of sudden infant death syndrome is “the sudden death of an infant less than one year of age that cannot be explained following a thorough investigation”. To better understand the cause, and to predict those at risk, researchers are studying the brain tissue of infants that have passed away from SIDS. Identifying the cause could lead to prevention strategies.

SIDS is a symptom that refers to the sudden death of infants in their sleep. This symptom is usually seen in infants twelve months and younger. The exact cause of this syndrome is unknown, however, there are certain factors that through research have shown to have a contribution to the cause of sudden death among young infants. These factors may include co-sleeping, which is defined as an infant sharing sleeping surface with one or more adults. Maternal smoking and alcohol consumption are also factors that can contribute to sudden infant deaths as well as prone sleeping, the act of placing an infant to sleep face down (Knight, Webster, Kemp, & Comino, 2013). The rate of SIDS has dropped over time due to the rise of awareness of the factors that may cause this syndrome which have been discovered through numerous studies (Knight, et. al., 2013).

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or "crib death" is an abrupt and inexplicable death of an apparently healthy infant. Most of the cases involve infants from ages 1-12 months, and the event occurs during the night. Various theories have been postulated from research results but without consistency of the etiology. Since the death is sudden, prior diagnostic criteria or patterns are not available for correlation, although some near-miss infants have been followed. A number of possibilities have been documented in current literature, to include beta-endorphin changes, abnormal temperature regulation, pineal abnormalities, carotid body irregularities, lead poisoning, elevated fetal hemoglobin,

They believe that wherever the abnormal brain development is located, it can cause the baby to stop breathing and this risk is incredibly high in an infant’s brain that isn’t fully developed. Scientists also believe that if a baby is experiencing outward stress, it can make their breathing difficult and this can lead to an increase in SIDS. “To have a SIDS death, you have to have at least one of those [factors], and you have a higher risk if you have two or three of those happening at the same time,” (Fern Hauck. The University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Why is this information relevant to decision support in obstetrical care? It points to the need for improved safety and high reliability care. The CDC recently reported on maternal mortality in the United States. Not only has there been no improvement in the past 25 years, there has actually been an increase from 9.1 deaths per 100,000 livebirths for the period of

Utero-placental hypo-perfusion is the major cause of both respiratory and metabolic acidemia, with progression from the former to the latter over time if decreased utero-placental blood flow is not corrected (5), so various studies were designed to study the safety of using oxytocin infusion during the course of labor on neonatal clinical and acid-base condition at delivery and the likelihood of causing perinatal asphyxia.

Prenatal care is widely accepted as an important element in improving pregnancy outcome. (Gorrie, McKinney, Murray, 1998). Prenatal care is defined as care of a pregnant woman during the time in the maternity cycle that begins with conception and ends with the onset of labor. A medical, surgical, gynecologic, obstretic, social and family history is taken (Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary, 1998). It is important for a pregnant woman as well as our society to know that everything that you do has an effect on your baby. Because so many women opt not to receive the benefits of prenatal care, our society sees the ramification, which include a variety of complications primarily

From taking this class, I have gained significant understanding of biological determinants of women’s health. Learning about the number of unique biological risks women face is important to understand for me because I am a woman and this risks are likely to pertain to me as well. One of topic of biological aspect of women’s health we covered in class were risks factors associated with pregnancy, its complication and pregnancy itself. Understanding about maternal death and number of causes such as hemorrhage, sepsis, hypertensive, and abortion