By Abdi Ali
Published October 10, 2020
Excessive bleeding after childbirth is the leading cause of maternal death in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Consequently, researchers based at Britain’s University of Birmingham are starting a ground-breaking maternal health trial across 80 hospitals in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, South and Sri Lanka.
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The trial, called the E-MOTIVE study, aims to reduce severe bleeding after birth and ultimately reduce maternal deaths and complications due to bleeding by 25%.
Led by Professor Arri Coomarasamy, a renowned Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine and the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Global Women’s Health, and Dr Ioannis Gallos, Senior Clinical Lecturer, the team shall conduct the global E-MOTIVE study that is supported by the Institute of Global Innovation of the University of Birmingham and a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to better detect and treat mothers suffering excessive bleeding after childbirth.
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“Every six minutes a mother dies from childbirth-related bleeding in low-resource countries, often leaving behind a young family; her newborn infant has less than a 20% chance of surviving past the first month,” says Arri Coomarasamy, Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine at the University of Birmingham.
Saying delayed detection and inconsistent treatment make excessive bleeding highly dangerous, the researchers say developing a package of care to help diagnose bleeding early, and treat women quickly can make the difference between life and death.
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The aims of the study underway, the researchers say, are to generate the necessary evidence to give healthcare practitioners and policy-makers the confidence to implement and scale up the E-MOTIVE programme, moving us closer to having a solution for stopping mothers dying from bleeding after childbirth.
“Doctors and midwifes often do not realise that a woman is bleeding excessively – and thus the woman may not get life-saving treatment in time. The longer the delay in detection and treatment of the excessive bleeding, the greater the risk of her life being lost,” says Dr Ioannis Gallos, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Birmingham. “Easy-to-implement interventions, that could be critical, are inconsistently used. Our programme intends to change practice so that women get the right treatment at the right time.”