Pregnancy-Related Deaths Due to Hemorrhage: Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, 2012-2019.

Hemorrhage has been a leading cause of pregnancy-related death in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System since 1987 when reporting began. Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System data from 2012 to 2019 were analyzed to describe pregnancy-related deaths from hemorrhage. Pregnancy-related mortality ratios were estimated for hemorrhage overall and by hemorrhage subclassifications. Specific subclassifications of hemorrhage-related deaths were analyzed by sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, there were 606 deaths due to hemorrhage. The pregnancy-related mortality ratio for hemorrhage overall was 1.94 per 100,000 live births. Ruptured ectopic pregnancy was the most frequent subclassification (22.9%) of pregnancy-related hemorrhage deaths, followed by postpartum hemorrhage (21.2%). There were no significant trends in the pregnancy-related mortality ratio, overall or among any subclassification of hemorrhage deaths, from 2012 to 2019. Reporting subclassifications of pregnancy-related hemorrhage deaths could improve the ability to focus interventions and assess progress over time.

Pregnancy-Related Deaths by Hispanic Origin, United States, 2009-2018.

Objective: To describe pregnancy-related mortality among Hispanic people by place of origin (country or region of Hispanic ancestry), 2009-2018. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study of pregnancy-related deaths among Hispanic people, stratified by place of origin (Central or South America, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Other and Unknown Hispanic), using Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System data, 2009-2018. We describe distributions of pregnancy-related deaths and pregnancy-related mortality ratios (number of pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births) overall and by place of origin for select demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: For 2009-2018, the overall pregnancy-related mortality ratio among Hispanic people was 11.5 pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 10.8-12.2). In general, pregnancy-related mortality ratios were higher among older age groups (i.e., 35 years and older) and lower among those with higher educational attainment (i.e., college degree or higher). Approximately two in five pregnancy-related deaths among Hispanic people occurred on the day of delivery through 6 days postpartum. Place of origin-specific pregnancy-related mortality ratios ranged from 9.6 (95% CI: 5.8-15.0) among people of Cuban origin to 15.3 (95% CI: 12.4-18.3) among people of Puerto Rican origin. Hemorrhage and infection were the most frequent causes of pregnancy-related deaths overall among Hispanic people. People of Puerto Rican origin had a higher proportion of deaths because of cardiomyopathy. Conclusions: We identified differences in pregnancy-related mortality by place of origin among Hispanic people that can help inform prevention of pregnancy-related deaths.

Short-term exposure to air pollution and infant mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Infant mortality is a widely reported indicator of population health and a leading public health concern. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we review the available literature for epidemiologic evidence of the association between short-term air pollution exposure and infant mortality. METHODS: Relevant publications were identified through PubMed and Web of Science databases using comprehensive search terms and screened using predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. We extracted data from included studies and applied a systematic rubric for evaluating study quality across domains including participant selection, outcome, exposure, confounding, analysis, selective reporting, sensitivity, and overall quality. We performed meta-analyses, using both fixed and random-effect methods, and estimated pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95%CI) for pollutants (nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), coarse particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO)) and infant mortality, neonatal mortality, or postneonatal mortality. RESULTS: Our search returned 549 studies. We excluded 490 studies in the abstract screening phase and an additional 37 studies in the full text screening phase, leaving 22 studies for inclusion. Among these 22 studies, 14 included effect estimates for PM10, 13 for O3, 11 for both NO2 and CO, 8 for SO2, and 3 for PM2.5. We did not calculate a pooled OR for PM2.5 due to the limited number of studies available and demonstrated heterogeneity in the effect estimates. The pooled ORs (95%CI) with the greatest magnitudes were for a 10-ppb increase in SO2 or NO2 concentration in the days before death (1.07 [95%CI: 1.02, 1.12], 1.04 [95%CI: 1.01, 1.08], respectively). The pooled OR for PM10 was 1.02 (95%CI: 1.00, 1.03), and the pooled ORs for CO and O3 were 1.01 (95%CI: 1.00, 1.02) and 0.99 (95%CI: 0.97, 1.01). CONCLUSIONS: Increased exposure to SO2, NO2, PM10, or CO is associated with infant mortality across studies.