Slightly increased maternal mortality ratio for weekend deliveries, researchers say
THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For pregnant women, a weekend delivery could mean a slightly increased risk of complications, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The Pregnancy Meeting, held from Jan. 23 to 28 in Las Vegas.
Steven Clark, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and colleagues reviewed outcomes from more than 45 million pregnancies in the United States between 2004 and 2014.
The researchers found a slightly increased maternal mortality ratio among mothers who delivered over the weekend — 21.4 per 100,000 deliveries, compared with 14.6 per 100,000 during the week. The team also found that weekend deliveries were linked to increased ratios of maternal blood transfusions and perineal lacerations. In addition, neonatal intensive care unit admissions, neonatal seizures, and antibiotic use all rose on weekends, compared with other times of the week.
Clark’s team also looked at July as a possible month when maternal and infant deaths might rise; however, the authors didn’t find an increase in infant or maternal deaths in July.
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