Disparities in cardiovascular maternal health

Heartbeat: cardiovascular maternal health and disparities in clinical outcomes

“…Racial disparities likely are a contributing factor given that 65% of Black women are covered by Medicare during pregnancy. Ma, DeFaria Yeh and Schmidt2 conclude: “The disparities demonstrated by this study and others are so stark that advocacy cannot only be the responsibility of cardiologists specialising in adult congenital heart disease or women’s cardiovascular health but rather all cardiologists.”…”

“…In the accompanying editorial, Ma, DeFaria Yeh and Schmidt2 point out that in 2017 maternal mortality per 100 000 live births was 17 in the USA compared with seven in the UK with prior studies suggesting that up to 2/3 of maternal deaths in the USA were preventable. A key factor affecting maternal health in the USA is the absence of universal medical coverage; low-income women may be covered during pregnancy on a state-by-state basis by the Medicare programme.…”