Reduction of maternal mortality: the need for voluntary blood donors.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between maternal mortality and availability of blood for transfusion at the country level in Latin American and Caribbean countries. METHOD: The association of blood availability with maternal mortality, expressed either as national maternal mortality ratio or proportion of maternal deaths due to hemorrhage, in selected Latin American and Caribbean countries was analyzed by non-parametric methods. RESULT: An inverse correlation was found between blood availability and both maternal mortality ratio (p<0.002) and proportion of deaths due to hemorrhage (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Limited availability of blood for transfusion in countries with high maternal mortality ratios may hinder comprehensive care of mothers. The results presented here underscore the need for the formation of voluntary blood donors in the pursuit of improved maternal health.