Pa. nurse invents postpartum hemorrhage prediction tool
A Philadelphia nurse has co-developed a software tool called Vasowatch to better predict postpartum hemorrhage by monitoring uterine muscle fatigue. The tool aims to address the 'care chasm' where many women initially classified as low-risk suffer from dangerous bleeding after childbirth.
Why it matters
Improved prediction tools for postpartum complications could significantly reduce maternal mortality rates by allowing for earlier medical intervention.
Facebook LinkedIn Email Mike Zacchino / AP A nurse adjusts her gloves in a hospital. When a woman arrives at a hospital to give birth, medical teams assess her risk for suffering a postpartum hemorrhage , or excessive bleeding after childbirth. It’s a serious complication that is preventable and treatable, but in rare cases, it is deadly.
Patients are typically categorized as low, medium or high risk, depending on how they score in the evaluation, which uses a checklist to document placental abnormalities, prior cesarean-section deliveries, blood clotting defects and other factors.
Early and quick intervention and treatment is highly successful in slowing bleeding and preventing severe and fatal outcomes, said Stefanie Modri, a Philadelphia registered nurse who has specialized in obstetrics for nearly 30 years.
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