Every year tens of thousands of women around the world die from post-birth bleeding — mostly in the world's least developed countries. A unique pressure garment first devised by NASA medical researchers is a cost-effective method for treating this condition in remote parts of the world. At a cost of just a dollar per use, this garment, which is known as the "miracle suit," has saved thousands of lives.
Anti-gravity suits, or G-suits, prevent blood from pooling in the legs through the use of air-filled bladders. NASA has long relied on them to keep test pilots from blacking out during extreme acceleration, and astronauts use them during re-entry to squeeze the arms and legs and push blood back toward the head as they readjust to the pull of Earth’s gravity. Responding to an unusual call for help in 1969, NASA researchers first used a modified G-suit to successfully treat a woman suffering from post-partum bleeding.
Learn more about how NASA helped develop technology that impacts pressure garment within your city's medical environment!