Medical Journal publishes NYHQ study

The May issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the journal of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, has published a New York Hospital Queens study, “Improving Hospital Systems for the Care of Women With Major Obstetric Hemorrhage,” that has saved lives.
The study showed a reduced maternal mortality from hemorrhage. Despite an overall increase in major obstetric hemorrhage cases, New York Hospital Queens has improved outcomes and eliminated maternal deaths - which also appeared prominently in the article - after implementing a systematic approach to improve patient safety. The hospital achieved this result by instituting a system to gather an emergency response group, called Team Blue, immediately at the bedside when a mother or baby is at risk, and time is of the essence.
Team Blue includes professionals from multiple departments, including anesthesiology, neonatology, nursing, the blood bank, maternal-fetal medicine, administration, trauma team and the operating room staff. Team Blue has been modeled after the hospital’s successful trauma team. The results of this study and the process improvement earned the 2005 New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System Quality Award.
Investigators included Daniel W. Skupski MD, Associate Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Isaac P. Lowenwirt MD, Director Obstetrical Anesthesia, and Frederic I. Weinbaum MD, Senior Vice President, among many more from New York Hospital Queens.
Obstetric hemorrhage, otherwise known as excessive bleeding from giving birth, can occur as a result of various complications related to the placenta or acidity of the blood.