Uterine balloon tamponade as an adjunct to misoprostol for the treatment of uncontrolled postpartum haemorrhage: a randomised controlled trial in Benin and Mali.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of low-cost uterine tamponade as an adjunct to misoprostol for the treatment of uncontrolled postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in low-resource settings. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Seven healthcare facilities in Cotonou, Benin and Bamako, Mali. POPULATION: Women delivering vaginally who had clinically diagnosed PPH that was suspected to be due to uterine atony, who were unresponsive to oxytocin and who needed additional uterotonics. METHODS: Women were randomly assigned to receive uterine balloon tamponade with a condom-catheter device or no tamponade; both groups were also given intrarectal or sublingual misoprostol. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Proportion of women with invasive surgery or who died before hospital discharge. RESULTS: The proportion of primary composite outcome did not differ significantly between the tamponade arm (16%; 9/57) and the standard second line treatment arm (7%; 4/59): relative risk 2.33 (95% CI 0.76 to 7.14, p=0.238). A significantly increased proportion of women with tamponade and misoprostol versus misoprostol alone had total blood loss more than 1000 mL: relative risk 1.52 (95% CI 1.15 to 2.00, p=0.01). Case fatality rate was higher in the tamponade group (10%; 6/57) than in the control group (2%; 1/59) (p=0.059). TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCT Registry Number 01202389; Post-results.

Initial management of postpartum hemorrhage: A cohort study in Benin and Mali.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the components of initial management associated with a decreased risk of severe postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in Benin and Mali. METHODS: A cohort study was conducted between May 2013 and September 2014 that included all women who delivered vaginally in seven participating centers and who presented excessive bleeding after birth. Severe PPH was defined as PPH that required surgical treatment (vascular ligature and/or hysterectomy), and/or blood transfusion, and/or transfer to an intensive care unit, and/or an outcome of maternal death. Logistic regression was used to identify the components of initial PPH management that were associated with severe PPH, adjusting for case mix. RESULTS: A total of 223 women presented a primary PPH presumably caused by uterine atony. Among those, 88 (39.5%) had severe PPH. Nearly one-third of women (30.4%) had a late injection of oxytocin (>10 minutes) after PPH diagnosis or no injection. Oxytocin injection within 10 minutes after the PPH diagnosis was significantly associated with a decreased risk of severe PPH (adjusted OR=0.3; 95% CI, 0.14-0.77). CONCLUSION: Decrease in the delays in oxytocin administration is a key determinant to improve maternal outcomes related to PPH in this context.