Role of placental blood drainage as a part of active management of third stage of labour after spontaneous vaginal delivery.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the duration of 3rd stage of labour and blood-loss in patients with and without placental cord blood drainage following normal vaginal delivery. METHODS: The quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Services Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from October4, 2015, to April 4, 2016, and comprised pregnant women aged 18-40 years with any parity having gestation >36 weeks and haemoglobin >7.0gm. The subjects were divided into two groups. In one group, routine active management of third stage of labour was done and placental end of the umbilical cord was left open to drain blood in a kidney tray till flow ceased. In the other group, the placental end of the cord was left clamped and spontaneous expulsion was carried out by controlled cord traction. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: Of the 200 females, 100(50%) were in each of the two groups. The overall mean age was 29.22}6.84 years. The mean baseline haemoglobin in placental cord drainage group was 11.48}0.89 and that in the control group was 11.40 } 0.91 (p>0.05). The mean duration of third stage of labour in placental cord drainage group was 5.67}1.81 hours and in control group it was 8.44}2.50 hours (p<0.001). The mean blood-loss in placental cord drainage group was 174.69}13.69mlcompared to 196.25}15.06ml in the control group (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In the management of the third stage of labour with the cord drainage method, results showed significant reduction in postpartum blood-loss and the duration of the third stage in normal vaginal birth patients.

Conservative management of placenta increta in a primigravida: A case report.

Morbidly adherent placenta in the absence of risk factors is a rare entity in primigravida, and its conservative management becomes important in such patients to preserve future fertility. We report a case where a primigravida was discovered accidentally having placenta increta while her caesarean section was being performed due to foetal distress (grade 2 meconium). There was unexpected delay in delivery of the placenta. It was managed conservatively by performing a bilateral uterine artery ligation and methotrexate post operatively. On weekly follow-ups serum beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin(bHCG) levels were done as well as and two weekly ultrasounds. Conservative management of morbidly adherent placenta can be considered in primigravidas where there is a great need to preser ve fer tility and avoid hysterectomy.