INTRAUTERINE BALLOON TAMPONADE-A NOVEL TECHNIQUE TO PREVENT AND MANAGE PLACENTAL SITE HAEMORRHAGE

Intrauterine Balloon Tamponade

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of Foley catheter balloon tamponade in
postpartum haemorrhage at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Abbottabad.
Study Design: Descriptive study.
Place and Duration of Study: Obstetrics & Gynaecology Department CMH Abbottabad, from Sep 2016 to Mar
2017.
Material and Methods: Patients who developed postpartum haemorrhage after caesarean section (CS) and were treated with intrauterine balloon tamponade (IUBT) using a Foley catheter were identified by review of medical records. Patient’s demographic data, obstetric history, type of CS, cause of haemorrhage and transfusion history were extracted. Data was entered, coded and analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics software. Descriptive statistics wereproduced.
Results: A total of 26 patients were included with mean age of 29.2 ± 5.23 years. More than two-thirds of the
patients were multi-gravida and around three-quarters were at full term. The most frequent cause for postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) was placenta previa major. In 25 of the 26 (96.1%) patients the procedure was successful in stopping bleeding. There were no adverse effects related to the procedure.
Conclusion: We found that IUBT with an inexpensive Foley catheter is likely to be effective in most cases of PPH associated with caesarean section, without causing additional adverse events.