Low-tech garment holds promise in preventing maternal death related to childbirth

Monday, February 27, 2006

A simple, low-tech garment has the potential to prevent a major cause of death among women who give birth in many Third World countries, according to a new study by maternal health researchers.

Study findings show the use of a neoprene suit can save the lives of women suffering from obstetrical hemorrhaging due to childbirth. Hemorrhaging accounts for about 30 percent of the more than 500,000 maternal deaths worldwide each year due to childbirth, nearly all in poor countries, according to the researchers.

Results from a pilot study on the use of the suit, conducted at selected sites in Egypt, appear in today’s online edition of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The findings will be published in the April issue of the journal.

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Source: EurekAlert (link opens in a new window)