Mat for Measuring Maternal Blood Loss (Q-Mat)

Postpartum hemorrhaging, the leading cause of maternal death and disability worldwide, causes nearly 500,000 deaths annually. In late 2010, icddd,b scientists developed and began successfully testing an absorbent birth mat that, when fully saturated, indicates that mothers need to go to the hospital for professional medical care.

icddr,b has incorporated the mat, in combination with Misoprostol and umbilical cord cleaning tools, into an innovative clean delivery kit that saves mothers' lives and prevents infections in newborns.

The ‘Q-mat’, named after the lead scientist in its development - Dr. Md. Abdul Quaiyum, is placed under a woman immediately after the delivery of a baby. This mat soaked blood that is coming out from the mother, giving a visual depiction of the amount of blood lost during delivery. The mat can retain 448±58 ml of blood when fully soaked, signaling the woman is hemorrhaging and requires immediate referral for medical treatment. icddr,b’s Q-Mat overcomes the limitations of existing methods of indicating PPH because it recognises excessive hemorrhage at the outset, rather than relying on treatment once dangerous symptoms occur.

In 2010, icddd,b scientists won a Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health prize for further development of a biodegradable mat.