Brooklyn medical students design a simple new device to prevent a women’s death from bleeding during child birth
Post-partum hemorraging is the medical term for excessive bleeding after childbirth. It is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the world and accounts for 30% of deaths in Africa and Asia.
Mikail Kalam from Brooklyn, a 25 year old medical student at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem , New York, and his research team discovered that a condom filled with saline can put pressure on the uterus and reduce or stop the bleeding until the woman is transferred to a hospital. This could be a life saver for millions of women in poor countries including Bangladesh where Mikail is from and where 70% of women give birth at home assisted by midwives.
The device called tampostat, costs only $1.50 to produce. It allows the condom to be securely introduced into the uterus and filled with an amount of saline appropriate to the size of the uterus.
It will soon be tested in two hospitals in Bangladesh.
Mikael Kamalis and his team won a $250,000 grant from Saving Life at Birth, a health advocacy group linked to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Source: Jibon Health Technology
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