Increased Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality Among Asian American and Pacific Islander Women in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States. Despite a higher socioeconomic status, AAPI women experience higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality. METHODS: Using the National Inpatient Sample, we performed a retrospective cohort analysis of women who were hospitalized for delivery from 2002 to 2013. The primary outcome variable was inpatient mortality rate, and the presence of severe maternal morbidities was estimated using the Bateman Comorbidity Index, a validated tool for predicting obstetric morbidity. RESULTS: AAPI women presenting for delivery between 2003 and 2012 were older, more likely to reside in a zip code in the top quartile of annual income, be privately insured than Caucasian women, and less likely to have a higher Bateman Comorbidity Index. However, AAPI women had a higher likelihood of postpartum hemorrhage (3.4% vs 2.7%, P

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