"Miracle Suits" Saving New Mothers from Postpartum Hemorrhage, Spinoff of NASA's Anti-Gravity Suit

In the latest report by NASA Spinoff, they recognized the contribution of Ames research in developing a "miracle suit" which treats new mothers' postpartum hemorrhaging. It is part of NASA's technology transfer program to "bring NASA technology down to earth".

In an article by Space Coast Daily, they recounted an incident which happened in 1969 when the NASA Ames research center received a call asking for help when a mother was bleeding non-stop despite nine surgeries after giving birth. Ames responded to the call for help and suggested to apply pressure to the entire lower body using an inflated anti-gravity suit similar to tightly wrapping a wound.

The Ames team modified an anti-gravity suit and rushed it to the hospital and 10 hours later, the woman started showing signs of recovery, and she was fully healed after three months. Ames managed to convert the anti-gravity suit into a pressure suit which is more useful for applications on Earth.

The astronauts use the anti-gravity suits to put pressure on arms and legs during re-entry to push blood back to the head. It also prevents pilots from blacking out during "extreme acceleration". Ames thought this technology could work to stop postpartum hemorrhage.

NASA said in their own press release that there are at least 700,000 new mothers who die from obstetric hemorrhages in developing countries annually.

Because of that incident in 1969, NASA further studied the use of the suit in helping new born mothers who are suffering from hemorrhaging, they stated that "the realization that even lower pressures could be used effectively to decrease bleeding and shift blood back to the heart and brain."

This study became the inspiration behind the California-based Zoex Corporation to make a suit specifically designed for this purpose. "The company scrapped the old-style G-suits for a non-pneumatic version using simple elastic compression."

By 2004, the study by Ames researchers and Standford professor Paul Hensleigh found out that in a 2004 "The garments saved 13 out of 14 patients in Pakistan who were in shock from extreme blood loss." In Egypt and Nigeria, the suit was able to reduce blood loss and mortality rate by 50 percent in 2007.

Suellen Miller, Founder of the Safe Motherhood Program, said "In the field of maternal health, we generally don't see that kind of a reduction, and even more so when it's the result of a single, simple intervention."

She proceeded to create a low-cost version of the pressure suit called LifeWrap. "We've determined that these suits can be used at least 70 times...So we're looking at a life-saving device that costs less than a dollar per use."

Miller's new low-cost version of the "miracle suit" enabled more developing countries to purchase the cheaper version. In 2013, LifeWrap donated suits in the Philippines to aid women from the disaster prone areas.

Today, it can be said that it is one of the most beneficial spinoff from NASA. LifeWrap continue to provide affordable help for new mothers in Africa, Tanzania, Philippines and many other developing countries. But despite the success of their modified pressure suit, Miller never forgets to give thanks to NASA and Ames research who helped developed the "miracle suit" which is saving lives today. "We're taking this suit to the village, we're taking it to the hut, we're taking it to the poorest, most vulnerable, voiceless, powerless people grounded into the Earth, and making a difference for them...Thank you, NASA."