ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether the method of placental removal during cesarean section has an impact on perioperative hemorrhage and maternal infectious morbidity. STUDY DESIGN: Three hundred and two patients admitted for abdominal delivery were recruited in a prospective randomized clinical intention-to-treat trial. Participants were assigned to have their placenta removed either manually or spontaneously. The drop in hematocrit was the primary outcome; postpartum maternal infectious morbidity was also assessed. RESULTS: Two patients were excluded for incomplete data. One-hundred-fifty-one were randomized to the manual removal group and 149 to the spontaneous group. The demographic characteristics of the two populations were similar. The mean drop (%) in the manual removal group was greater than in the spontaneous group (5.57+/-3.86 and 2.65+/-2.67, respectively; P<0.01). the incidence of postpartum infectious morbidity was also significantly greater in the manual group (RR 15.8, 95% CI 2.19-117.5). CONCLUSION: Routine manual removal of placenta at cesarean section significantly increases perioperative blood loss and postpartum maternal infectious morbidity.
