Non-Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment for Obstetric Hemorrhage

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Investigator: Suellen Miller, PhD, CNM, MHA

Location(s): Kenya; Uganda; Tanzania; South Africa; Nigeria; Bangladesh; India; Pakistan

Description

The leading cause of maternal mortality (deaths from pregnancy and childbirth related complications) is obstetric hemorrhage in which a woman bleeds heavily, most often immediately after giving birth. A woman somewhere in the world dies every 4 minutes from this kind of complication. The Non-pneumatic Anti-shock Garment (NASG) is a first-aid device used to stabilize women who are suffering from obstetric hemorrhage and shock. It is made of neoprene and VelcroTM and looks like the lower half of a wetsuit, cut into segments. This simple device helps women survive delays in getting to a hospital and getting the treatment that they need. It can be applied by anyone after a short, simple training. To date, it has been used on over 10,000 women in 33 countries.