A $2 solution may be able to curb postpartum hemorrhage, according to a study published May 9 in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The low-cost solution is essentially a plastic sheet with a pouch designed to collect blood, which allows physicians to visibly track blood loss after birth and intervene before a condition worsens, according to NPR.
There is a growing need worldwide for solutions specifically designed to protect and advance maternal health as the World Health Organization released a report the same day stating maternal death rates are at an all-time high.
Specifically in poorer and middle income countries across regions like Africa, a low-cost, high-visibility solution can change patient outcomes significantly. Researchers tested the efficacy of the solution for 210,132 patients at 80 hospitals in African countries and saw a 60 percent reduction in women who experienced severe, after-birth bleeding.
"Early detection of postpartum hemorrhage and use of bundled treatment led to a lower risk of the primary outcome, a composite of severe postpartum hemorrhage, laparotomy for bleeding, or death from bleeding, than usual care among patients having vaginal delivery," the authors of the study wrote.