title: Blood loss in obstetrics.
abstract: A retrospective survey of recorded and estimated blood loss in 200 consecutive confinements at Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) in January 1981 is reported. Analysis of perinatal maternal haemoglobin drops in this series of normal and assisted vaginal deliveries revealed an average blood loss of 720 ml. There was very poor correlation between the magnitude of the haemoglobin drop and the volume of blood lost as recorded by the accoucheur. The results are discussed in the context of the normal blood volume expansion in pregnancy, and against the background of maternal deaths from haemorrhage in Papua New Guinea and in other countries.
mesh_terms: D001810:Blood Volume; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D010219:Papua New Guinea; D006473:Postpartum Hemorrhage / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins