The Leapfrog Group, a voluntary patient-safety program, said that early elective deliveries might put infants at an increased risk of birth injuries. The group presented its finding to inform parents-to-be about the risks of elective early deliveries.
The group states some hospitals across the country are delivering 40 percent of newborn babies early for no medical reason. Among the 773 hospitals in the United States, the group found a wide range of inconsistencies between how often facilities performed early elective deliveries. Additionally, allowing early deliveries may result in higher birth injury, infant mortality rates and permanent health problems, the group claims.
An early elective delivery is a cesarean section, a surgical procedure made through a pregnant mother’s abdomen to deliver a baby. Medical experts recommend a cesarean section when a vaginal delivery may pose a health risk to mother or baby, or in cases of multiple births. The Leapfrog Group found that some medical facilities had more than 40 percent of early elective deliveries for no medical reason, meaning a vaginal delivery would have been safe for mother and baby.
Leapfrog is urging hospitals nationwide to reduce their early elective delivery rates to less than 12 percent. Additionally, the group urges that infants must not be born before 29 weeks unless medically necessary, which is what most medical experts practice.
