Scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that cardiac arrest during childbirth occurs in 1 in 9,000 women in the U.S., women with hypertension, mental disorders, and older age are at risk. Research published in the journal Internal Medicine Annuals.
The scientists used data from 11 million women who gave birth from a study conducted from 2017 to 2019.
The prevalence of cardiac arrest has increased. In the period from 1998 to 2011, the frequency was 1 case in 12 thousand births, while in 2017-2019 it affected 1 out of 9 thousand women who gave birth. At the same time, the survival rate increased from 59% to 69%. As the doctors point out, the increase in the prevalence of cardiac arrest is due to the fact that women are more likely to be obese and give birth later.
An increased risk has been observed in women with high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, mental disorders and substance abuse, as well as in older women.
The scientists noted that cardiac arrest is so rare that many doctors have never had to deal with it throughout their careers. However, the mother should be prepared for an emergency cesarean section in case of cardiac arrest, as the fetus cannot receive oxygen and may die. If an emergency cesarean section is performed in less than 5 minutes, the child’s survival rate is 96%. Then the survival rate drops to 70%.