What is the NASG?

Professor Suellen Miller, is the creator of The LifeWrap™, also known as the Non-Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG)—a first-aid device used to stabilize women suffering from hypovolemic shock due to obstetric hemorrhage. Made of neoprene with Velcro enclosures, the NASG applies pressure, decreasing blood flow to the uterus and redirecting circulation to vital organs. The NASG has been shown to reduce blood loss, reverse shock, and significantly decrease maternal morbidity and mortality. Reusable, low-cost, and easy to apply, the NASG is a critical tool in emergency obstetric care and transport.

 

“The NASG has removed a thorn from the feet of hospital directors -- those of us lucky enough to receive them. When your phone rings late at night, your colleagues tell you there is a case of PPH and there is no blood, can you imagine the pressure? MUSO [the facilitating organization] came like a star in our life... thank you from the bottom of my heart. The NASG must be widely popularized.”
Dr. Mangle
General Hospital Boundiali, Côte d'Ivoire
Group involved in NASG network event

 

NASG Resources

Training Video: Saving Mothers' Lives

October 5th is World Postpartum Hemorrhage Day

World Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) Day raises awareness of severe bleeding after childbirth, a leading cause of maternal death worldwide. It is a day to honor women who have died, hear from survivors, and call for better access to timely, lifesaving care. The Safe Motherhood Program joins this effort through our work to improve care for women experiencing obstetric hemorrhage.

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To mark World PPH Day on October 5, 2026, Prof. Dr. Haleema Yasmin and the Ward 8 team at JPMC in Karachi, Pakistan, organized an in-person learning and skills session on postpartum hemorrhage. The session focuses on early recognition, prevention, timely treatment, and hands-on practice, including use of the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG).

NASG/LifeWrap™ Projects

NASG Advocacy & Action Network (NAAN)

In collaboration with Clinton Health Access Initiative and Lwala Community Alliance, the Safe Motherhood Program has launched the NASG Advocacy & Action Network. NAAN meets every other month and is open to new and experienced users of the NASG. Together, we advocate for scale-up with governments and partner institutions, share expertise & training resources, and establish partnerships among NASG champions and users. Visit our NAAN page to get involved.

Close-up of NASG device

Kenya: Lwala Community Alliance

Since 2018, our team has collaborated with Lwala Community Alliance to introduce the NASG, growing from 14 health facilities to 104 facilities across Migori County within two years.  The continued expansion has added Homa Bay County and Kilifi County, along with advocacy at the national level to add the NASG to the National EmOC Curriculum

Tanzania: Ifakara Health Institute

In 2014, Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), added the NASG to their EMPOWER maternal health project with UCSF Safe Motherhood, bringing the NASG to 280 facilities with a large scale implementation study. Rhoda Amafumba, a Zambian midwife and partner from previous studies, Michelle Skaer Therrien, and Prof. Suellen Miller worked with an incredible team from IHI: Selemani Mbuyita, Dr. Robert Tillya, Iddajovana Kinyonge, Dr Godfrey Mbaruku, Ritha Godfrey, and Zac Mtema. This study conducted across four districts in Tanzania demonstrated a 68% reduction in maternal mortality due to obstetric hemorrhage.

Kenya: RedTribe and Asante Kenya

RedTribe serves the Maasai community in Narok County Kenya, where most women give birth at home. Previously, women experiencing obstetric hemorrhages required urgent transfer to the tertiary hospital from the RedTribe clinic. In 2025, UCSF Safe Motherhood provided a donation of NASGs to the RedTribe clinic and Narok Hospital to help in the management of obstetric hemorrhage for the Maasai community.

Cote d'Ivoire: Muso Health

Along with their launch in Mali, Muso Health supported health facilities to introduce the NASG, starting in the tertiary hospitals in July 2022, and expanding to additional facilities in November of that year.

Mali: Muso Health
 

In 2022, UCSF's Project Director, Michelle Therrien, joined the Muso Health team to offer the first NASG training in Bamako.

Visit our Toolkit Page

To download Physician FAQs, training materials, and NASG job aides