New approaches to obstetric hemorrhage: the postpartum hemorrhage consensus algorithm

Risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus by age: a multicentric cohort study in Hebei, China

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an unique metabolic disorder that occurs during pregnancy. Both GDM and advanced age increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study used a GDM cohort study to investigate the role of age in the adverse pregnancy outcomes for pregnant women with GDM. From 2015 to 2021, 308,175 pregnant women were selected, and the data received from 22 hospitals by the Hebei Province Maternal Near Miss Surveillance System. There were 24,551 pregnant women with GDM that were divided into five groups by age (20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44 years old). Because the prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes was lower in pregnant women with GDM aged 25-29, they were used as a reference group (P < 0.05). Compared with GDM women aged 25-29 years, GDM women aged 35-44 years had a significant higher risk of cesarean delivery (aOR: 2.86, 95% CI 2.52-3.25) (P < 0.001), abnormal fetal position (aOR: 1.78, 95% CI 1.31-2.37) (P < 0.001), pre-eclampsia (aOR: 1.28, 95% CI 1.01-1.61) (P < 0.05), macrosomia (aOR: 1.25, 95% CI 1.08-1.45) (P < 0.05), and large for gestational age (LGA) (aOR: 1.16, 95% CI 1.02-1.31) (P < 0.05), GDM women aged 40-44 years had a higher risk of placenta previa (aOR: 2.53, 95% CI 1.01-6.35) (P < 0.05), anemia (aOR: 3.45, 95% CI 1.23-9.68) (P < 0.05) and small for gestational age (aOR: 1.32, 95% CI 1.01-1.60) (P < 0.05). Advanced maternal age was an independent risk factor for abnormal fetal position, pre-eclampsia, anemia, macrosomia, and LGA in pregnant women with GDM.

Protocol for postpartum haemorrhage including massive transfusion

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is one of the most common causes of maternal mortality worldwide. Management of PPH depends on the severity of bleeding. If the bleeding is severe, aorta compression can reduce bleeding. It should be followed by insertion of two coarse needles for intravenous access and blood sampling for haemoglobin and haemostasis. Further on, monitoring of vital parameters, as well as provision of extra oxygen and warm crystalloids, should be performed. Uterine atony is the most common cause of PPH and local guidelines for uterotonic drug selection should be followed. Patients with ongoing bleeding should immediately receive surgical care for bleeding control. During severe ongoing bleeding, haemostasis care includes early tranexamic acid, transfusion in ratio 4:4:1 (blood:plasma:platelets), and extra fibrinogen intravenously. If not severe PPH, use goal-directed therapy. During general anaesthesia and uterine atony, stop volatile anaesthesia and change to intravenous anaesthesia.

Risk Factors for Atonic Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To identify and quantify risk factors for atonic postpartum hemorrhage.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, and and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for English language studies with no restrictions on date or location. Studies included randomized trials, prospective or retrospective cohort studies, and case-control studies of pregnant patients who developed atonic postpartum hemorrhage and reported at least one risk factor.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION

Title, abstract, and full-text screening were performed using the Raayan web application. Of 1,239 records screened, 27 studies were included in this review. Adjusted or unadjusted odds ratios (ORs), relative risks, or rate ratios were recorded or calculated. For each risk factor, a qualitative synthesis of low and moderate risk of bias studies classifies the risk factor as definite, likely, unclear, or not a risk factor. For risk factors with sufficiently homogeneous definitions and reference ranges, a quantitative meta-analysis of low and moderate risk of bias studies was implemented to estimate a combined OR.

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS

Forty-seven potential risk factors for atonic postpartum hemorrhage were identified in this review, of which 15 were judged definite or likely risk factors. The remaining 32 assessed risk factors showed no association with atonic postpartum hemorrhage or had conflicting or unclear evidence.

CONCLUSION

A substantial proportion of postpartum hemorrhage occurs in the absence of recognized risk factors. Many risk factors for atonic hemorrhage included in current risk-assessment tools were confirmed, with the greatest risk conferred by prior postpartum hemorrhage of any etiology, placenta previa, placental abruption, uterine rupture, and multiple gestation. Novel risk factors not currently included in risk-assessment tools included hypertension, diabetes, and ethnicity. Obesity and magnesium were not associated with atonic postpartum hemorrhage in this review.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO, CRD42020157521.

The role of ultrasound in prediction of intra-operative blood loss in cases of placenta accreta spectrum disorders

PURPOSE

To assess the value of various grey-scale ultrasound, 2D color Doppler, and 3D power Doppler sonographic markers in predicting major intraoperative blood loss during planned cesarean hysterectomy for cases diagnosed with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders.

METHODS

50 women diagnosed with PAS were scanned the day before planned delivery and hysterectomy for various sonographic markers indicative of placental invasion. These women were then later divided according to blood loss in two groups: group A (minor hemorrhage, < 2500 ml), and group B (major hemorrhage, > 2500 ml), and the data were analyzed.

RESULTS

The odds ratio (OR) for major hemorrhage was as follows for the following sonographic markers: 'number of lacunae > 4' OR 3.8 95% CI (1.0-13.8) (p = 0.047); 'subplacental hypervascularity' OR 10.8 95% CI (1.2-98.0) (p = 0.035); 'tortuous vascularity with 'chaotic branching' OR 10.8 95%CI (1.2-98.0) (p = 0.035); 'numerous coherent vessels involving the serosa-bladder interface OR 14.6 95% CI (2.7-80.5) (p = 0.002); and 'presence of bridging vessels OR 2.9 95% CI (1.4-6.9) (p = 0.005). Only the presence of numerous coherent vessels involving the bladder-serosal interface (p = 0.002) was proven to be independent predictor of major hemorrhage during hysterectomy.

CONCLUSION

The use of 2D color Doppler and 3D power Doppler can help predict massive hemorrhage in cases of PAS disorders.

Patient blood management (PBM) in pregnancy and childbirth: literature review and expert opinion

PURPOSE

Patient blood management [PBM] has been acknowledged and successfully introduced in a wide range of medical specialities, where blood transfusions are an important issue, including anaesthesiology, orthopaedic surgery, cardiac surgery, or traumatology. Although pregnancy and obstetrics have been recognized as a major field of potential haemorrhage and necessity of blood transfusions, there is still little awareness among obstetricians regarding the importance of PBM in this area. This review, therefore, summarizes the importance of PBM in obstetrics and the current evidence on this topic.

METHOD

We review the current literature and summarize the current evidence of PBM in pregnant women and postpartum with a focus on postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) using PubMed as literature source. The literature was reviewed and analysed and conclusions were made by the Swiss PBM in obstetrics working group of experts in a consensus meeting.

RESULTS

PBM comprises a series of measures to maintain an adequate haemoglobin level, improve haemostasis and reduce bleeding, aiming to improve patient outcomes. Despite the fact that the WHO has recommended PBM early 2010, the majority of hospitals are in need of guidelines to apply PBM in daily practice. PBM demonstrated a reduction in morbidity, mortality, and costs for patients undergoing surgery or medical interventions with a high bleeding potential. All pregnant women have a significant risk for PPH. Risk factors do exist; however, 60% of women who experience PPH do not have a pre-existing risk factor. Patient blood management in obstetrics must, therefore, not only be focused on women with identified risk factor for PPH, but on all pregnant women. Due to the risk of PPH, which is inherent to every pregnancy, PBM is of particular importance in obstetrics. Although so far, there is no clear guideline how to implement PBM in obstetrics, there are some simple, effective measures to reduce anaemia and the necessity of transfusions in women giving birth and thereby improving clinical outcome and avoiding complications.

CONCLUSION

PBM in obstetrics is based on three main pillars: diagnostic and/or therapeutic interventions during pregnancy, during delivery and in the postpartum phase. These three main pillars should be kept in mind by all professionals taking care of pregnant women, including obstetricians, general practitioners, midwifes, and anaesthesiologists, to improve pregnancy outcome and optimize resources.

The role of evidence-based algorithms for rotational thromboelastometry-guided bleeding management

Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) is a point-of-care viscoelastic method and enables to assess viscoelastic profiles of whole blood in various clinical settings. ROTEM-guided bleeding management has become an essential part of patient blood management (PBM) which is an important concept in improving patient safety. Here, ROTEM testing and hemostatic interventions should be linked by evidence-based, setting-specific algorithms adapted to the specific patient population of the hospitals and the local availability of hemostatic interventions. Accordingly, ROTEM-guided algorithms implement the concept of personalized or precision medicine in perioperative bleeding management (‘theranostic’ approach). ROTEM-guided PBM has been shown to be effective in reducing bleeding, transfusion requirements, complication rates, and health care costs. Accordingly, several randomized-controlled trials, meta-analyses, and health technology assessments provided evidence that using ROTEM-guided algorithms in bleeding patients resulted in improved patient’s safety and outcomes including perioperative morbidity and mortality. However, the implementation of ROTEM in the PBM concept requires adequate technical and interpretation training, education and logistics, as well as interdisciplinary communication and collaboration.

Tranexamic acid for treatment and prophylaxis of bleeding and hyperfibrinolysis

Uncontrolled massive bleeding with subsequent derangement of the coagulation system is a major challenge in the management of both surgical and seriously injured patients. Under physiological conditions activators and inhibitors of coagulation regulate the sensitive balance between clot formation and fibrinolysis. In some cases, excessive and diffuse bleeding is caused by systemic activation of fibrinolysis, i. e. hyperfibrinolysis (HF). Uncontrolled HF is associated with a high mortality. Polytrauma patients and those undergoing surgical procedures involving organs rich in plasminogen proactivators (e. g. liver, kidney, pancreas, uterus and prostate gland) are at a high risk for HF. Antifibrinolytics, such as tranexamic acid (TXA) are used for prophylaxis and treatment of bleeding caused by a local or generalized HF as well as other hemorrhagic conditions. TXA is a synthetic lysine analogue that has been available in Austria since 1966. TXA is of utmost importance in the prevention and treatment of traumatic and perioperative bleeding due to the resulting reduction in perioperative blood loss and blood transfusion requirements. The following article presents the different fields of application of TXA with particular respect to indications and dosages, based on a literature search and on current guidelines.

Identification and Management of Obstetric Hemorrhage

Obstetric hemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal death and severe morbidity worldwide. Although uterine atony is the most common cause of peripartum bleeding, abnormal placentation, coagulation disorders, and genital tract trauma contribute to adverse maternal outcomes. Given the inability to reliably predict patients at high risk for obstetric hemorrhage, all parturients should be considered susceptible, and extreme vigilance must be exercised in the assessment of blood loss and hemodynamic stability during the peripartum period. Obstetric-specific hemorrhage protocols, facilitating the integration and timely escalation of pharmacologic, radiological, surgical, and transfusion interventions, are critical to the successful management of peripartum bleeding.

Damage Control Surgery for the Management of Major Obstetric Hemorrhage: Experience from the Fundación Valle Del Lili, Cali, Colombia

Objective

The aim of this case series is to describe the experience of implementing damage control resuscitation (DCR) in patients with major obstetric hemorrhage (MOH) between January 2005 and December 2015 in the Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia.

Materials and methods

This is a prospective descriptive study of a case series from 108 patients with MOH who were subjected to DCR. All patients were operated on using a standardized surgical technique in accordance with the institutional protocol.

Results

The median age was 28 years, with a gestational age of 38 weeks. The principal associated diagnosis was severe preeclampsia (in 39% of cases). A total of 96 patients presented massive postpartum hemorrhage, and 75% of these cases presented after a cesarean section. In all patients, normal control of bleeding was achieved, 60% during the first surgical period. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation score was 14, with an overall mortality of 6.48%, far below the expected mortality according to the clinical severity of these patients.

Conclusion

This study includes the biggest series of pregnant women with MOH, in a critical condition, in whom DCR was used, during which rapid control of bleeding was achieved, associated with a significantly lower mortality than expected.

How to cite this article

Escobar MF, Carvajal JA, Burgos JM, Messa A, Ordoñez CA, García AF, Granados M, Forero AM, Casallas JD, Thomas LS, Nieto AJ. Damage Control Surgery for the Management of Major Obstetric Hemorrhage: Experience from the Fundación Valle Del Lili, Cali, Colombia. Panam J Trauma Crit Care Emerg Surg 2017;6(1):1-7.

[Anesthesiological approach to postpartum hemorrhage]

Peripartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a frequent obstetric emergency situation with increasing incidence in the last decades. It requires a fast, coordinated and interdisciplinary management. This life-threatening situation is often recognized too late and not adequately treated (too little is done too late); therefore, it is important to be aware of the most important risk factors for PPH known as the 4 Ts (i.e. tonus, trauma, tissue and thrombin). Due to the special patient population there is only little evidence-based data on hemostatic therapy in this situation; therefore, the currently available studies on the therapy of PPH is discussed.

Massive obstetric hemorrhage: Current approach to management

Massive obstetric hemorrhage is a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. It is defined (among others) as the loss of>2,500ml of blood, and is associated to a need for admission to critical care and/or hysterectomy. The relative hemodilution and high cardiac output found in normal pregnancy allows substantial bleeding before a drop in hemoglobin and/or hematocrit can be identified. Some comorbidities associated with pregnancy can contribute to the occurrence of catastrophic bleeding with consumption coagulopathy, which makes the situation even worse. Optimization, preparation, rational use of resources and protocolization of actions are often useful to improve outcomes in patients with postpartum hemorrhage. Using massive obstetric hemorrhage protocols is useful for facilitating rapid transfusion if needed, and can also be cost-effective. If hypofibrinogenemia during the bleeding episode is identified, early fibrinogen administration can be very useful. Other coagulation factors in addition to fibrinogen may be necessary during postpartum hemorrhage replacement measures in order to effectively correct coagulopathy. A hysterectomy is recommended if the medical and surgical measures prove ineffective.

Transfusion and coagulation management in major obstetric hemorrhage

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Major obstetric hemorrhage is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. We will review transfusion strategies and the value of monitoring the maternal coagulation profile during severe obstetric hemorrhage.

RECENT FINDINGS

Epidemiologic studies indicate that rates of severe postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in well resourced countries are increasing. Despite these increases, rates of transfusion in obstetrics are low (0.9-2.3%), and investigators have questioned whether a predelivery 'type and screen' is cost-effective for all obstetric patients. Instead, blood ordering protocols specific to obstetric patients can reduce unnecessary antibody testing. When severe PPH occurs, a massive transfusion protocol has attracted interest as a key therapeutic resource by ensuring sustained availability of blood products to the labor and delivery unit. During early postpartum bleeding, recent studies have shown that hypofibrinogenemia is an important predictor for the later development of severe PPH. Point-of-care technologies, such as thromboelastography and rotational thromboelastometry, can identify decreased fibrin clot quality during PPH, which correlate with low fibrinogen levels.

SUMMARY

A massive transfusion protocol provides a key resource in the management of severe PPH. However, future studies are needed to assess whether formula-driven vs. goal-directed transfusion therapy improves maternal outcomes in women with severe PPH.

The 2016 Hughes Lecture: What's new in maternal morbidity and mortality?

Each year, the Board of Directors of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology selects an individual to review a given year's published obstetric anesthesiology literature. This individual then produces a syllabus of the year's most influential publications, delivers the Ostheimer Lecture at the Society's annual meeting, the Hughes Lecture at the following year's Sol Shnider meeting, and writes corresponding review articles. This 2016 Hughes Lecture review article focuses specifically on the 2014 publications that relate to maternal morbidity and mortality. It begins by discussing the 2014 research that was published on severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality in developed countries. This is followed by a discussion of specific coexisting diseases and specific causes of severe maternal mortality. The review ends with a discussion of worldwide maternal mortality and the 2014 publications that examined the successes and the shortfalls in the work to make childbirth safe for women throughout the entire world.

Hemostatic resuscitation in postpartum hemorrhage - a supplement to surgery

BACKGROUND

Postpartum hemorrhage is a potentially life-threatening albeit preventable condition that persists as a leading cause of maternal death. Identification of safe and cost-effective hemostatic treatment options remains crucial as a supplement to surgery and uterotonic agents.

OBJECTIVE

This review summarizes the background, current evidence and recommendations with regard to the role of fibrinogen, tranexamic acid, prothrombin complex concentrate, desmopressin, and recombinant factor VIIa in the treatment of patients with postpartum hemorrhage. The benefits and evidence behind traditional standard laboratory tests and viscoelastic hemostatic assays, i.e. thromboelastography TEG(®) and thromboelastometry ROTEM(®) , are discussed. In addition we assess and elaborate on the current paradigm and evidence for transfusion of these patients.

DATA SOURCES

Publications between 1994 and 2014 were identified from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library databases, and ClinicalTrial.gov.

RESULTS

Viscoelastic hemostatic assays were found to provide a real-time continuum of coagulation and fibrinolysis when introduced as a supplement in transfusion management of postpartum hemorrhage. Fibrinogen should be considered when hypofibrinogenemia is identified. Early administration of 1-2 g tranexamic acid is recommended, followed by an additional dose in cases of ongoing bleeding. Uncontrolled hemorrhage requires early balanced transfusion.

CONCLUSION

Despite the lack of conclusive evidence for optimal hemostatic resuscitation in postpartum hemorrhage, the use of viscoelastic hemostatic assays, fibrinogen, tranexamic acid and balanced transfusion therapy may prove to be potentially pivotal in the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage.

Contribution of antepartum and intrapartum hemorrhage to the burden of maternal near miss and death in a national surveillance study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the occurrence of severe obstetric complications associated with antepartum and intrapartum hemorrhage among women from the Brazilian Network for Surveillance of Severe Maternal Morbidity.

DESIGN

Multicenter cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Twenty-seven obstetric referral units in Brazil between July 2009 and June 2010.

POPULATION

A total of 9555 women categorized as having obstetric complications.

METHODS

The occurrence of potentially life-threatening conditions, maternal near miss and maternal deaths associated with antepartum and intrapartum hemorrhage was evaluated. Sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and the use of criteria for management of severe bleeding were also assessed in these women.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The prevalence ratios with their respective 95% confidence intervals adjusted for the cluster effect of the design, and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to identify factors independently associated with the occurrence of severe maternal outcome.

RESULTS

Antepartum and intrapartum hemorrhage occurred in only 8% (767) of women experiencing any type of obstetric complication. However, it was responsible for 18.2% (140) of maternal near miss and 10% (14) of maternal death cases. On multivariate analysis, maternal age and previous cesarean section were shown to be independently associated with an increased risk of severe maternal outcome (near miss or death).

CONCLUSION

Severe maternal outcome due to antepartum and intrapartum hemorrhage was highly prevalent among Brazilian women. Certain risk factors, maternal age and previous cesarean delivery in particular, were associated with the occurrence of bleeding.