The Novelty of Inhalable Medications: Interest, Use, and Impact of Inhalant Medications in Low-Resource Settings.

Introduction: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) claims more than 100,000 maternal lives annually worldwide, most of them in low-resource settings. To address morbidity and mortality from PPH, the global health community is exploring novel drug formulations, such as inhalable medicine, to improve treatment availability and use, especially in community settings with limited access to skilled birth attendants. A major limitation in the ability to prevent or treat PPH in resource-limited settings is that the most effective medications for prevention and treatment are injectables, which require administration by skilled birth attendants.

The MANDATE model for evaluating interventions to reduce postpartum hemorrhage.

Objective: To create a comprehensive model of the comparative impact of various interventions on maternal, fetal, and neonatal (MFN) mortality.

Methods: The major conditions and sub-conditions contributing to MFN mortality in low-resource areas were identified, and the prevalence and case fatality rates documented. Available interventions were mapped to these conditions, and intervention coverage and efficacy were identified.

Clinical algorithms for the identification of sick newborns in community-based settings.

Unlabelled: Clinical algorithms can be powerful tools for the identification of sick newborns at risk of neonatal mortality. Several studies have evaluated clinical signs for newborns aged 0-60 days to identify severe illness; however, few studies have focused specifically on the most vulnerable time period for neonatal death, the first week of life. Therefore, we reviewed the studies that evaluated clinical signs in newborns 0-60 days, focusing on infants 0 to <7 days.

Neonatal mortality from respiratory distress syndrome: lessons for low-resource countries.

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a major contributor to neonatal mortality worldwide. However, little information is available regarding rates of RDS-specific mortality in low-income countries, and technologies for RDS treatment are used inconsistently in different health care settings. Our objective was to better understand the interventions that have decreased the rates of RDS-specific mortality in high-income countries over the past 60 years.

Lessons for low-income regions following the reduction in hypertension-related maternal mortality in high-income countries.

Objectives: To evaluate pre-eclampsia/eclampsia-associated maternal mortality in high-income countries to understand better the potential improvements in pre-eclampsia/eclampsia-related mortality in low-income countries.

Methods: We searched Medline, PubMed, and the Cochrane Database (1900-2010) using relevant search terms. Studies of the incidence of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and case fatality rates in various geographic regions were included.