News: Black and Latino patients face higher likelihood of maternal mortality, study suggests

Black and Latino patients with prior cesarean births experience higher severe maternal morbidity (SMM) rates than their white counterparts, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

The study examined 72,836 United States patients with a prior history of cesarean births. Of the 72,836 patients examined, the mean age was 32.40 years, 8,022 (11.0%) were Black, 14,664 (20.1%) were Latino, and 41,350 (56.8%) were white.

These patients were then divided into categories of race and ethnicity and analyzed accordingly.

Among Black and Latino patients, rates of SMM were “higher for planning cesarean birth relative to VBAC [vaginal birth after cesarean]” while among white patients, SMM rates for “planned repeat cesarean birth and VBAC were similar.”

Among all racial groups, Black patients had the highest likelihood of SMM.

“Identifying factors contributing to higher SMM rates among Black and Latinx birthing people with planned repeat cesarean delivery,” the authors concluded, “is necessary to improve care quality and to promote equity.”

Editor’s note: To read the JAMA Network Open article, click here.