Successful Use of Gauze Packing to Arrest Postpartum Hemorrhage Due to Placenta Previa

Abstract

Postpartum hemorrhage immediately following delivery is a consequence of excessive bleeding from the placental implantation site, lacerating wounds of the genital tract and adjacent structures, or both. In the United Kingdom, half of maternal deaths from hemorrhage are due to postpartum events(superscript [1]) Uterine atony, degrees of retained placenta and genital tract lacerations account for most cases of postpartum hemorrhage. When postpartum hemorrhage occurs, the possibility of retained placental fragments, genital tract trauma and coagulopathy must be ruled out first. If only uterine atony is noted, it is managed by uterine massage, pharmacological methods, and artery ligation. When those methods fail to stop bleeding, the obstetrician often considers a cesarean hysterectomy. However, a hysterectomy ends a woman's child-bearing ability. Here, we present two cases of postpartum hemorrhage due to placenta previa which were successfully treated with gauze packing thus avoiding a hysterectomy.