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A study of Mississippi hospital births from 2016 to 2025 recorded sepsis in 197 of 320,179 live births; 11 of those patients died. Sepsis was involved in 32.4% of delivery-associated hospital deaths, and higher rates were associated with preterm birth, C-section delivery, chronic conditions, Black race and Medicaid coverage.
A study of 320,179 Mississippi live births from 2016 to 2025 found that sepsis was recorded in 197 births, or 0.06%, but was involved in 32.4% of delivery-associated hospital deaths. Researchers led by Manuela Staneva of the University of Mississippi Medical Center reported that sepsis was associated with preterm birth, C-section delivery, chronic conditions, Black race and Medicaid coverage; the findings highlight a rare complication with a substantial share of in-hospital deaths.
Eleven patients with sepsis died, for a case fatality rate of 5.6% among the 197 cases. Across all births, the sepsis rate was 6.2 per 10,000. The study analyzed statewide hospital discharge data for Mississippi residents ages 10 to 49 and was published in JAMA Network Open.
Compared with births without recorded sepsis, cases involving sepsis more often involved preterm delivery (54% versus 14%), C-section (53% versus 33%) and chronic comorbidities (54% versus 33%). Black patients made up 59% of sepsis cases versus 42% of births without sepsis, while Medicaid covered 64% versus 52%. These are associations reported by the study; they do not establish that any one characteristic caused sepsis.
Among patients with sepsis, 36.6% had hypertension and 25.9% had obesity, compared with 21.1% and 14.9%, respectively, among those without sepsis. The study also reported acute kidney failure in 23.4% of sepsis cases, septic shock in 23.4%, and respiratory distress syndrome in about one-third. Average hospital charges were $134,844 for sepsis-associated births, compared with $22,876 for births without sepsis.
Sepsis and Mississippi Maternal Deaths
The findings draw attention to the gap between frequency and severity: sepsis appeared in a small fraction of births but was involved in nearly one-third of delivery-associated hospital deaths in this dataset. That makes recognition and prompt treatment of infection a concern for maternal care in Mississippi, while the study does not show that the same share applies nationally or to deaths outside hospitals.
The authors called for a statewide prevention plan focused on identifying patients at higher risk and treating infections promptly. The figures on chronic conditions also point to pre-pregnancy health as a potential part of longer-term prevention, though the observational study cannot establish which interventions would reduce sepsis cases or deaths.
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Mississippi’s Maternal Health Burden
The report notes that Mississippi has the third-highest maternal mortality rate among U.S. states. Separately, the CDC reported that maternal infection or sepsis was the nation’s third-leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in 2024, accounting for 14.4% of those deaths. The national statistic and the Mississippi study cover different populations and measures.
Sepsis can arise from an infection during pregnancy, childbirth or after an abortion, according to the report. The researchers describe it as multifactorial, with infectious triggers and preexisting chronic illness potentially intersecting. The study also found sepsis rates of 23.1 per 10,000 preterm births versus 3.3 per 10,000 term births, and 10 per 10,000 C-section births versus 3.8 per 10,000 vaginal births.
“This finding highlights the heavy toll of obesity-related chronic comorbidity on maternal health in Mississippi.”
— Manuela Staneva, study lead and University of Mississippi Medical Center researcher, speaking to MedPage Today
Limits of the Mississippi Data
The findings come from 197 sepsis cases in one state, so estimates may be less stable for smaller subgroups and may not apply elsewhere. The study’s cross-sectional design cannot establish cause and effect, including whether C-sections contributed to infection risk or whether infection-related circumstances led to C-sections. The authors also identified small sample size as a limitation.
The data capture hospital births and delivery-associated hospital deaths; they do not answer how sepsis risk or mortality compares across different care settings. The results also do not identify which preventive measures would have prevented specific cases.
State Prevention Plans Ahead
The researchers recommended that Mississippi develop a statewide plan to identify higher-risk patients and treat infections promptly. They also urged attention to chronic disease among women of reproductive age. The report does not specify whether state officials have adopted a plan or set a timeline for action.
Further research with larger populations could help clarify how risk varies across groups and settings, and assess prevention strategies. For now, the study provides a state-level account of sepsis-associated births and deaths over a decade, with the authors’ recommendations serving as proposed next steps.
Key Questions
How often was sepsis recorded in Mississippi births?
It was recorded in 197 of 320,179 live births from 2016 to 2025, or 0.06%—6.2 cases per 10,000 births.
Sepsis was involved in 32.4% of delivery-associated hospital deaths in the study. The report does not establish that this share applies to deaths outside hospitals or other states.
Which groups had higher sepsis rates in the study?
Higher rates were reported among patients with preterm births, C-sections, chronic conditions, Black patients and Medicaid enrollees. These are associations, not proof that those characteristics caused sepsis.
Does the study show that C-sections cause sepsis?
No. The researchers noted that the study design cannot determine cause and effect or rule out reverse causality between C-sections and infection.
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