Severe Complications for Moms Rise Sharply.

• Position: HOSPITAL BIRTHS - Brief article

The proportion of women who experienced serious complications while giving birth in U.S. hospitals rose 45% between 2006-15, reports the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, Md.

The report indicates that rates of acute renal failure, shock, mechanical ventilation use, and sepsis at delivery all more than doubled during the study period.

"This report provides an essential update to our understanding of an urgent public health issue," says AHRQ Director Gopal Khanna. "With this data in hand, state and Federal agencies, patient safety specialists, and health systems can evaluate maternal morbidity trends in greater depth, a vital step before addressing the challenge."

AHRQ provides detailed statistics on complications involving labor and delivery:

* The rate of severe complications increased from 101 per 10,000 delivery hospitalizations in 2006 to 147...