Every time I write one of these posts, it breaks my heart, but these women’s deaths would go unnoticed without raising public awareness.
If you are interested in receiving information about the Black Ob-Gyn Directory that will drop in February 2023, please contact me at DoctorLindaOnline@gmail.com or https://www.thesmartmothersguide.com/contact/
A young, Black woman, pregnant with her second child, leaves the hospital empty-handed because no one would listen to her. It is a social refrain that bears no repeating. She had a previous delivery at 37 weeks because of preeclampsia. When she became pregnant again, her ob-gyn told her she was not a high-risk patient, but he was wrong. She didn’t receive baby aspirin during the second pregnancy, although she should have. Her provider told her he would prescribe it at 28 weeks, which was wrong because the optimum time to receive it is 16 weeks. She never saw a high-risk pregnancy specialist, although she should have. Instead, she developed the HELLP Syndrome at 25 weeks, and her baby expired.
One might say that the baby died from prematurity. However, evidence-based research reports a 67 to 76% survival rate for preterm babies born at 25 weeks.
She went to a social media group, seeking solace and comfort for her grief, and the disparities were glaring. Painful. Everyone in the group knew what a maternal fetal medicine specialist was except Laney, and no, they did not look like her.
I am weary of those sad stories. I am frustrated that things get worse instead of better regarding our healthcare system. However, I am committed to “Be the change I want to see.” So, I, along with other Black ob-gyn physicians, are rolling out a Black Obstetrician-Gynecologist Directory/Database so people like Laney can receive care from people who respect her culture and, most importantly, LISTEN to her.
Representation matters. Healthy Babies Matter. The dignity of this patient matters.
We, as humans, matter, and that means ALL of us.
The new policy being promoted to clinicians and patients places patients at risk. Please share your thoughts. Do you agree?
This blog was originally written in 2011 but it still holds true today.
Some of the most endearing moments I have witnessed as an obstetrician involved observing men in the labor room. There was the Jewish dad from Brooklyn who brought his Anita Baker tape and played it while his wife was in labor. Because she was one of my favorite artists, I was constantly in their room under the guise of watching the fetal monitor, just so that I could listen to the music. Another memorable moment was the dad who cried tears of joy when his wife was returned back to her room after having a c. section. The love and admiration that beamed in his eyes almost tempted me to ask him if he had a friend (this was of course when I was single). The point is, that expectant dads can play a significant role in helping their wives or girlfriends have a healthy babies. Here’s how:
The active participation of an expectant father is priceless. In the words of an old R&B classic by the Winstons, “. . . color him father; color him love.” Happy Father’s Day.
Dear Dr. Abbasi-Hoskins:
Thanks for your response regarding my 25th rejection to become a member of ACOG’s Medically Underserved Women’s Committee. Please be advised that I will not be submitting any future applications.
Although I have paid my annual dues for the past 25 years, I cannot guarantee that I will continue to do so in the future.
Have you noticed the dwindling number of obstetricians-gynecologists who pay their dues, especially those who look like me?
Although I originally planned to write a lengthy letter, my former high school photographer teacher (may he rest in peace) once said, “A picture is worth 1,000 words.”
The picture of this Black woman’s unassisted homebirth speaks volumes and represents our dismal failure as effective clinicians in keeping pregnant women safe and unharmed. Some Black women would rather stay home and deliver their babies in a tub without assistance than come into a hospital where they are often disrespected, ignored, and clinically mismanaged. How do we change that narrative?
This week’s JAMA opinion hits home. Medicine is an art as well as a science. Since ACOG will not allow me a membership to the Medically Underserved Committee, let me offer this advice based on my 35 years of clinical and professional experience:
I wish you a successful year as the new ACOG president and hope you will consider some of my recommendations.
Respectfully,
Linda Burke (formerly Burke-Galloway), MD, MS, FACOG
On May 13, 2022, the U.S. D.A. (U.S. Department of Agriculture) issued Press Release No. 0106.22 regarding the U.S. infant formula crisis. In plain English, here’s what parents need to know:
The USDA reports that to date, not all states have submitted waivers which might adversely impact families. If your state is not listed on this list. Then they did not apply for a waiver. If your state is not on the list, contact your local political representatives to find out why.
For further help and assistance, contact the U.S.D.A website.
The public should be wary of certain physicians, and the late Kira Johnson’s physician is one of them.
According to Case No. 800-2016-021723, the California Board of Medicine received six complaints of medical negligence against Dr. Arjang Naim, who is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist who practices in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California.
On April 12, 2016, Johnson entered Cesar Sinai Hospital for an elective C-Section accompanied by her family but left the hospital without her.
I attended medical school and did my internship with men like Arlang Naim and know them well. Cowboys is what we called them back in the day. They took pride in whizzing through operative surgeries like they were in a race against time. Safety rules did not apply to them. They breached standards of medical care, and no one held them accountable.
In cases of emergency C-sections, the expected length of time is thirty minutes. Kira Johnson had no emergency conditions, and her C-section was an elective procedure. Naim had two medical practices in Hollywood and Beverly Hills and was probably multi-tasking.
Johnson’s procedure began at 2:31 p.m. and ended at 2:48 p.m., 17 minutes, including her delivery. Unfortunately, in Naim’s haste, he failed to close the bladder flap. Shortly after that, he left the hospital, leaving Johnson’s care to the resident physicians who were in training.
At 4:40 p.m., Johnson developed abnormal bleeding in the bag that collects urine (known as the Foley catheter). Then, at 5:45 p.m., a massive blood clot could be felt through her skin incision. Her pulse then increased dramatically, and is a classic sign of impending shock.
Johnson received multiple blood transfusions and exhibited signs of a dangerous condition called DIC (disseminated intravascular clotting) which meant her blood was not clotting properly. Naim did not arrive at Johnson’s bedside until 8:47 p.m. Despite Johnson’s unstable condition, he wrote orders, including a CT scan and then LEFT THE HOSPITAL.
Johnson’s condition deteriorated further, and the resident physicians called Naim again. He arrived at the hospital at 11:45 p.m. but only wanted to continue to merely observe. However, the resident physicians convinced him to return to the operating room to determine the site of her bleeding.
At 12:25 a.m., Johnson was taken back to the operating room, and at 1:15 a.m., the resident physicians scrambled to find a general surgeon to assist Naim with the procedure. Unfortunately, Kira Johnson’s heart stopped beating.
Further evidence from the California Board of Medicine reported that Johnson was not the only patient who experienced medical neglect.
The California Board of Medicine placed Naim on probation in 2018 for two years, but he is practicing medicine again, including delivering
Would you want him to be your physician?
On this Mother’s Day, I honor the soulmates of mothers who left before their time on earth based on clinical incompetence, arrogance, and, yes, that dreaded word no one wants to discuss but is ever apparent racism.
Here are some examples of why Sha-Asia Washington, Amber Rose Isaac, Kira Johnson, and Dr. Chaniece Wallace are no longer with us:
Dr. Dmitry A. Shelchkov, a foreign medical school graduate, failed to provide adequate oxygen or monitor three previous patients before finally killing Sha-Asia Washington. He did not give her oxygen when she became short of breath and placed her epidural catheter incorrectly. His mistakes had been known for years, but it took the death of a 26-year-old first-time mother before the New York Medical Board suspended his medical license.
The obstetrician who performed a 17-minute elective C-Section led to a postpartum hemorrhage and the preventable death probably of Kira Johnson. Unfortunately, he probably still has privileges at the infamous Cedar Sinai Hospital.
The ob-gyn residents and their attending physicians at Montefiore Hospital who missed Amber Rose Isaac’s dropping platelets are probably still practicing without any accountability except providing a pathetic apology that will not bring her back to life.
And then there’s the case that keeps me up at night involving my fellow physician colleague and sorority sister, Dr. Chaniece Wallace. The horrific two-hour delay of starting an intravenous line in the setting of her hypertensive crisis is chilling. Yet, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indiana purports to have given her the best care.
Yet, amid this madness, four remarkable men have turned their pain into action on behalf of their departed soulmates. Their comments and posts on social media platforms demonstrate a palpable love. They speak about their beloved in the present tense. They not only continue to love these women but remain IN love with them despite their physical absence of 6 years for Charles Spurgeon Johnson IV and two years for Anthony Wallace, Juwan Lopez, and Bruce McIntyre III.
These brothers teach us that love continues to win, even in death, and has created beautiful children that represent their legacy.
Today, I salute the soulmates of Kira, Sha-Asia, Amber, and Chaniece, who continue to teach all of us that death has no real power over love, just as it had no power over Jesus, the Christ.
May my sisters continue to rest in Power, and may their memory continue to be a blessing.
If my mother gave birth to me today instead of over 60 years ago, she would probably be dead based on her risk factors. She was Black, had gestational diabetes, and gave birth to a 9-pound 4-ounce baby girl via C-section. She would have been discharged from the hospital on post-op day four rather than post-op day seven. But, thank God, my mother, unlike her mother, lived. I never knew my grandmother because she died from postpartum cardiomyopathy at age 39, a few months after delivering my youngest aunt in 1939.
When my mother had me, there were no managed care organizations that booted women out of the hospital 48 hours after birth or 96 hours after having a C-section. Had the federal government not stepped in with the Newborn and Mother’s Health Protection Act of 1996, mothers and babies would have been sent home after 24 hours, a phenomenon sarcastically referred to as “drive-through deliveries.”
In the discussion of reasons for the ignominious U.S. maternal mortality rates, the topic of managed care organizations and private equity investors is never discussed but should be.
According to Medical Economics, the Medical Management Group Association (MMGA) reported $60 billion in “deals” involving medical practices in 2019 by private equity firms. They are one of the reasons why nurses are leaving hospitals, physicians are jumping off hospital roofs, and yes, women are dying within a week of having a baby, and the stillbirth rate has increased.
The business model is not taught in nursing, midwifery, or medical schools. As a result, we do not know how to compromise quality care and satisfy your shareholders simultaneously. Perhaps if hospital CEOs and private equity shareholders are named co-defendants in future medical malpractice cases, the maternal mortality rate will move in the opposite direction.
You profess not to know why more pregnant women are dying? Try taking a closer look at your priorities and business practices. As long as profit and revenue take precedence over human life, there is little hope for change.
A decision made by the British version of our NIH, the National Institute of Care and Excellence (NICE), sheds a flicker of light onto a very dark landscape regarding maternal mortality. They are authorizing the use of a blood test that will diagnose preeclampsia as early as 20 weeks. This decision is groundbreaking news and will change the landscape of how preeclampsia is currently diagnosed, treated, and hopefully save lives.
NICE is developing a draft of clinical guidelines and believes that African, Caribbean, and Asian women will benefit the most based on their history of adverse birth outcomes.
Here’s what you need to know in plain English about the test:
Can these tests diagnose as well as exclude preeclampsia?
Yes, according to published literature cited in the article.
Four independent labs: one in San Diego, two in Germany, and a lab in Finland
What are the benefits of using this test for pregnant women?
The tests will make it easier for healthcare providers to diagnose preeclampsia and make fewer mistakes regarding clinical management.
Are there any economic benefits of using this test?
According to NICE literature, the saving was between 26 pounds ($34.06) to 2,896 pounds ($3,793.76) per patient.
Are there any other early diagnostic tests for preeclampsia?
Yes, there is a test using different technology that measures cell-free RNA as a means of early preeclampsia detection, according to an article published by Nature.com. However, healthcare providers do not currently use this test because it has not been approved as part of clinical guidelines.
I anxiously await the use of PIGF in mainstream obstetrics. We once thought that the adverse effects of preeclampsia stopped when the baby and placenta were delivered. However, we now know that reasoning was wrong based on the number of women who died during the postpartum period. Hopefully, with the future use of this test, women will no longer be discharged from hospitals or emergency departments prematurely. Anything that decreases maternal mortality gives me a glimmer of hope.
