Barcelona, Spain — Cook Medical has invited experts in women’s health and postpartum hemorrhage from North

America, Europe, Middle East and Africa to participate in a roundtable discussion with the world press to explore the causes, risk factors and prevalence of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) a fatal complication of childbirth that affects approximately 14 million women annually. Panelists will also explore the current options for treating PPH such as use of Cook’s Bakri postpartum hemorrhage balloon.1 The roundtable is scheduled for September 22 in Barcelona, Spain to coincide with the first Global Congress of Maternal and Infant Health at the Palau de Congressos de Barcelona, September 22-26.

Defined as the death of a woman during her pregnancy or within 42 days of pregnancy termination, maternal mortality usually occurs just before, during, or just after delivery2, often from complications that cannot be predicted and are difficult to prevent. According to the World Health Organization, about 14 million cases of obstetric hemorrhage occur each year and approximately 140,000 women die.3 Postpartum hemorrhage can kill even a healthy woman in just two hours.4 Even in the U.S., where obstetric care is among the best in the world, it causes almost 20 percent of pregnancy-related deaths.5

”Postpartum hemorrhage poses one of the greatest single global threats to the health and well-being of women during childbirth. Much has been written in the world press about the scope of the problem. But Cook’s goal with this roundtable is to zero in on the medical causes, identify patients and risk and discuss the forms of treatment available. It’s tragic that effective treatment alternatives that can minimize threats to a women’s future ability to have children and to prevent hysterectomy exist but are all too often unavailable or underutilized,” said Christina Anné, vice president of Cook Medical’s Women’s Health business unit. “Through this roundtable Cook hopes to educate policymakers, public health officials, health care providers and the public at large about how to identify patients at risk for postpartum hemorrhage and explore its causes and the various options for treatment. We also hope to discuss ways to improve the training healthcare professionals receive for treating PPH. We are excited to host the roundtable in conjunction with the first Global Congress of Maternal and Infant Health as Cook shares the goal of the Congress for improving the state of maternal care around the world.”

Panelists will highlight the causes of postpartum hemorrhage, including uterine atony; lacerations of the perineum, vagina, cervix or uterus; retention of placental tissue; uterine rupture; blood clotting abnormalities; hypertensive disorders; rapid or prolonged labor; placenta previa; and a prior history of PPH. They will also detail each of the current available treatment methods such as injections of oxytocin or administration of other uterotonic drugs, use of a balloon tamponade that applies direct pressure to stop hemorrhage, blood transfusions, laparotomy, embolization and even hysterectomy, the last resort in the treatment of PPH.

More Details on the Panel

What:
“Maternal Mortality: Prevention, Causes and Treatments for Postpartum Hemorrhage”

Who:
Distinguished panelists include: (Note: Panelists are being compensated by Cook Medical for their participation in the roundtable.)

—
Dr. Maysoon Al Adham, King Abdulaziz, consultant and head of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at King Abdulaziz Medical City and assistant professor at King Saud Ben Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudia Arabia.

—
Christina Anné, vice president and global business unit leader, Cook Medical Women’s Health division

—
Dr. Haywood Brown, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

—
Prof. Eduard Gratacos, head of maternal-fetal medicine at Hospital Clinic in Barcelona as well as member of the board and scientific chairman of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG)

—
Prof. Franco Guidozzi, past president, South Africa Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, professor, academic head and chief specialist of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Johannesburg Hospital and University of Witwatersrand Medical School

—
Dr. Saralyn Mark, first medical advisor to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Office of Women’s Health and senior scientific advisor to Cook Group

—
Dr. Elaine M. Wolfson, Ph.D, founder and president, Global Alliance for Women’s Health (GAWH.

Where:
Palau de Congressos de Barcelona, Sala 8

When:
Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 17:00-18:00 Barcelona time, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM EST

Dial In:
For members of the media unable to attend, the roundtable can be accessed via teleconference. For a country-by-country list of call-in numbers, instructions and downloadable press kits, go to www.cookmedical.com/barcelona

Contact onsite:
Gail McDaniel

[email protected]

Mobile: + 812-369-9727

Twitter: gmcdaniel

For live updates from the Global Congress of Maternal and Infant Health, follow Cook Women’s Health on Twitter @CookWomensHlth #PPH

Panelists are compensated for their participation in this event by Cook Medical.