We did not observe a racial disparity in maternal deaths at UAB Hospital. We suggest that the next step toward understanding racial differences in maternal deaths reported in the United States should be directed at the health care delivery outside the tertiary care hospital setting, particularly at eliminating access barriers to health care for all women.
Between 1986 and 2005, the maternal mortality ratio in the United States doubled from 7.4 to 14.5 per 100,000 live births. In 2005, the rate among African American women was 37.7, 3-to 4-fold higher than that among white women. Although 155 Management of Labor, Delivery, and the Puerperium ABSTRACT Some studies have reported benefits to neonates regarding respiratory and composite morbidity when elective cesarean section (ECS) is postponed until 39 completed weeks. Other studies have found no significant neonatal benefit from ECS scheduling before or after 39 weeks. The current study used secondary outcomes from a randomized controlled trial that compared ECS scheduled at 38 +3 and 39 +3 weeks' gestation to determine whether parturients in the 2 groups were equally satisfied with their scheduled delivery date.When a decision to deliver by ECS was made, 1274 parturients were randomly assigned to ECS scheduled 11 days before due date (38 +3 weeks ± 2 days; 38-week group) or 4 days before due date (39 +3 weeks ± 2 days; 39-week group). Outcomes
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