Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular

AUBURN, Ala., Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --Tori Bowie was known for her athletic prowess on the track. She captured three medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, including a gold medal as the anchor of the women's 4 x 100-meter relay team. She made headlines again this May when she died at the age of 32 due to complications from childbirth. Continue Reading Auburn University Assistant Professors Katilya Ware and Sarah Watts are conducting similar research projects through the College of Nursing to address health needs of underserved populations in the area. "When I learned of Tori Bowie's death, I shared the news with my project team because I felt that it helped confirm the need to engage African American women in research studies to develop solutions towards improving maternal health outcomes," said Katilya Ware, an assistant professor in Auburn University's College of Nursing. Pregnancy-related deaths occur during or within one year of the end of pregnancy from a complication or chain of events initiated or aggravated by the physiological effects of pregnancy. "In the United States, African American women experience pregnancy-related deaths at a rate three to four times higher than white women," added Ware. "Engaging African American women, family members or other support persons in research is critical in mitigating the continued increase in these deaths that has remained persistent over the last two decades." Bowie's death also made Ware think of a pregnancy-related death in her own family. In 2011, Ware's 30-year-old sister, Kanika, died from an amniotic fluid embolism. She wasn't famous like Bowie, but her pregnancy-related death was just as tragic. Because of her sister and the complications other family members endured during pregnancy, Ware has devoted her research at Auburn to improving maternal health outcomes in Alabama. In 2020, Alabama had the third-highest maternal mortality rate in the nation. For her project, "Engaging African American Women in the South in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research," Ware received funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to build a consortium to engage African American women with local faith-based leaders and health experts to improve maternal health outcomes. Thirty African American women who are either pregnant or delivered within the last five years are currently working with the group, alongside a family member and/or support person. "Most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable," said Ware. "Recognition of warning signs for symptoms that occur during pregnancy or after delivery is essential in receiving a prompt diagnosis and treatment." Ware is not alone in her attempt to improve the health of Alabamians. Several faculty members in the college are specifically conducting research with racial and ethnic minority groups, those who experience poor health disproportionately higher than others. Assistant Professor Sarah Watts is seeking answers to improve the health outcomes of the local Hispanic population. In general, Hispanics have limited access to health care, which leads to poor health outcomes and increased susceptibility to certain disease states. To address this, Watts secured funding from PCORI to support her project, "Engaging and Training Stakeholders to Participate in Patient-Centered Research to Reduce Obesity in Hispanic Women," and engaged with Hispanic women, their families, community partners and health care providers. A key partner for Watts has been Odalys Silvera, executive director of Esperanza House, a local non-profit organization aimed at improving the quality of life for Hispanic children and their families. The pair collaborate with leaders across Lee County, Alabama, to improve access to health care for these families. "I believe Sarah's project is very important to our local community and Hispanic women across the country, as many are facing numerous challenges and are in poor health," said Silvera. Another key partner is East Alabama Health. As Watts and her team identify Hispanics who could benefit from access to preventative care, they arrange for Opelika's Neighborhood Mobile Wellness Clinic to visit these local communities. Victor Chavez's visit to the clinic in his neighborhood likely saved his life. Watts and Ware are also working with the hospital to create a program to improve prenatal care for pregnant women, especially vulnerable populations. "Many of these women arrive at the hospital to deliver with minimal prenatal care, which can lead to poor outcomes," said Watts. "We aim to change this." As Alabama continues to be ranked one of the lowest states in the country in overall health, faculty in the College of Nursing are striving to change that and make Alabama a better place to live and work. SOURCE Auburn University

New Guidelines Designed to Promote Equitable Patient-Centered Care ROSEMONT, Ill., March 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To help ensure that all obstetric patients receive high-quality, safe analgesia and anesthesia care during labor and delivery, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) has published its updated Analgesia and Anesthesia for the Obstetric Patient practice guidelines. This comprehensive revision is designed to provide evidence-based practice recommendations and close equity gaps in obstetric pain management and anesthesia care. According to the Commonwealth Fund, U.S. women have the highest rate of maternal deaths among high-income countries, with Black women being nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. "Many of the complications related to maternal care are preventable," said Beth Ann Clayton, DNP, CRNA, FAANA, FAAN, lead revision subject matter expert. "We know that there is a significant equity gap in maternal care between races and that one of the best ways to close that gap is to have standardized, evidence-based care. AANA's new guidelines offer obstetric anesthesia providers current practice recommendations to support optimal maternal care and improve delivery of care, patient safety, and patient outcomes." Research confirms that there are racial and ethnic disparities in pain control for maternal care. Therefore, standardization of care as supported by these guidelines is an important step in addressing these disparities. The updated guidelines cover topics such as physiologic changes during pregnancy, pre-anesthesia assessment and evaluation, patient education, preparing a plan of care, analgesia and anesthesia options during labor, delivery and postpartum care, as well as complications and emergency care. Recommendations highlight care for high-risk patients, including those with hypertensive disorders such as preeclampsia and obstetric complications and emergencies such as obstetric hemorrhage and amniotic fluid embolism. "These guidelines and their protocols promote equity of care. For example, when a patient has preeclampsia, direct steps for hypertension management can be taken," Clayton said. "In an emergency, if clinicians do not have a protocol available, they may miss a step. These guidelines are in place to increase communication between the anesthesia, obstetric, and pediatric professionals regarding labor status and patient-specific considerations in order to create an optimal environment for safe maternal and neonatal care. The document also highlights how CRNAs help drive change to reduce maternal-related deaths and implement prevention strategies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related mortality." CRNAs are highly educated, trained, and qualified anesthesia experts. They provide 50 million anesthetics per year in the United States, working in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered. CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural settings, enabling facilities in these medically underserved areas to offer obstetrical, surgical, pain management, and trauma stabilization services. SOURCE American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology

BUFFALO, N.Y., Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alison Rose Foundation announced last week that it would donate additional funds to the Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE) Foundation and several local area hospitals to provide medical care to those affected by pregnancy complications. The funds, in addition to previous contributions of $85,000, will to be used to raise awareness and support research efforts of the steadily increasing maternal mortality rate in New York State and across the country. This year's donations include: Continue Reading The Alison Rose Foundation is named after Dr. Alison (Ali) Waclawek, a pharmacist and Western NY native who died while giving birth in 2019. Ali’s death was caused by an amniotic fluid embolism, a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. $35,000.00 to the Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE) Foundation $10,000.00 to Sisters Hospital Foundation $10,000.00 to the Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation $10,000.00 to Golisano Children's Hospital "We are truly grateful for the generosity and continued support from the Alison Rose Foundation. We are honored to play a small part in honoring her amazing legacy through supporting the incredible care being provided by our teams at Oishei Children's Hospital," said Andrew Bennett, vice president of The Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation. "These funds will accelerate our research on this rare syndrome helping us transform AFE into a predictable, preventable, and treatable condition,'' shared Miranda Klassen, Executive Director of the AFE Foundation. About the Alison Rose Foundation: Dr. Alison (Ali) Waclawek, a pharmacist and Western NY native, died while giving birth in 2019. Ali's death was caused by an amniotic fluid embolism, a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Estimated to occur in 1 in 40,000 pregnancies, there is no known cause or way to predict who is at risk. The Alison Rose Foundation was created in her memory by her husband, Dr. Justin Waclawek, a fellow pharmacist and Western NY native. Ali was born in Rochester, NY where her parents and brothers still reside. She was an alumni of the University at Buffalo and D'Youville College School of Pharmacy, posthumously earning the esteemed D'Youville Delta Sigma alumni award. She had an accomplished life and career that included becoming a Buffalo Jill and, upon completion of school, a Supervising Pharmacist with Walgreens. Those interested in supporting the Alison Rose Foundation are encouraged to learn more and donate at . SOURCE Alison Rose Foundation