Cutting the Cables: Traditional Techniques Meet Next-Generation Medical Technology to Save Mothers and Their Babies

Cutting the Cables: Traditional Techniques Meet Next-Generation Medical Technology to Save Mothers and Their Babies

From ultrasound powered by artificial intelligence to image-sharing tools on the cloud, technology advancements are improving the quality of health care at an unprecedented rate. Yet, when it comes to one of the most universal and compelling health care needs – a smooth and successful pregnancy and childbirth – we still have a long way to go.

Every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The United States accounts for the highest maternal death rate in the developed world, and the number has been steadily increasing over the last two decades. What should be a moment of joy and celebration can become an unbearable tragedy.

The operative word in these troubling statistics is “preventable.” And one of the keys to avoiding these tragedies is more closely monitoring the health of the mom and baby. The idea that you can’t manage what you don’t measure rings particularly true in pregnancy and childbirth.

Fetal and maternal health monitors provide invaluable data that can support clinicians and health care providers as they need to make quick and accurate clinical assessments throughout a pregnancy and during labor and delivery. However, these health care needs are at odds with recent trends in labor preferences.

For example, increasingly, expectant mothers want to take a more active role in their birth plans, not simply turn over the reins to the care staff. A growing trend among these patients is the desire for more mobility during labor.

The ability to get out of bed, walk around and even bathe can improve their overall comfort and experience – and may help decrease the length of labor. Not only do patients feel a sense of empowerment by choosing their birthing process, increased mobility may also decrease the length of labor.

During labor, women are often entangled in a sea of cords and monitors, significantly limiting their movement. Fortunately, expectant moms now have the option for cordless monitors that replaces the traditional, cumbersome belts, cables to support the traditional transducer system.

But as with many things, there’s still a role for “traditional” practices – including, in the case of childbirth, more movement and engagement on the part of the mother. Pairing this focus on the patient with advanced technology, we can achieve the best of both worlds: safer, smoother births with lower maternal-infant mortality.