title: Prostaglandin E2 analogue sulprostone for treatment of atonic postpartum hemorrhage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Use of prostaglandins, including sulprostone (an E2 analog), is recommended for second-line uterotonic treatment of atonic postpartum hemorrhage and might be considered as an indicator of quality of care in severe atonic postpartum hemorrhage management. Our objective was to estimate whether sulprostone was appropriately used and how it was tolerated in women with atonic postpartum hemorrhage.
  
  
  METHODS
  This large population-based study (146,781 deliveries) included 4,038 women with clinically assessed atonic postpartum hemorrhage in 106 French hospitals during 1 year. Severe postpartum hemorrhage was defined as one of the following: hemoglobin decline of 4 g/dL or more, transfusion, arterial embolization, surgical procedures, transfer to intensive care unit, or death. Sulprostone use in severe atonic postpartum hemorrhage was analyzed according to the mode of delivery and the characteristics of the maternity units.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rates of sulprostone use were only 33.9% (n = 1,370) and 53.5% (n = 657) among women with atonic (n = 4 ,038) and severe atonic (n = 1,227) postpartum hemorrhage, respectively. In the latter population, sulprostone administration was less frequent after vaginal delivery than after cesarean delivery (45.6% compared with 86.5%, P<.01) in units performing fewer than 1,500 annual deliveries in public nonuniversity hospitals and in units where the obstetrician or anesthesiologist was not present 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Fifty-one of the 1,370 women with sulprostone-treated atonic postpartum hemorrhage (3.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.7-4.7) experienced side effects, including seven (0.5%, 95% CI 0.2-1.0) with severe cardiovascular or respiratory symptoms that resolved when the hypovolemic shock was corrected and drug administration was stopped.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sulprostone is underused for treating severe atonic postpartum hemorrhage after vaginal delivery, despite low rates of severe side effects in this population-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  : III.
authors.affiliation: From the Service de Gynécologie Obstétrique, Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP, the Université Paris Diderot, Inserm U953 Epidemiological Research Unit on Perinatal Health and Women's and Children's Health, and the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; and the Aurore Perinatal Network, Hôpital de la Croix Rousse, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tararbit
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dupont
authors.forename: René-Charles
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Rudigoz
authors.forename: Marie-Hélène
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bouvier-Colle
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deneux-Tharaux
mesh_terms: D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006473:Postpartum Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014593:Uterine Inertia / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: C016767:sulprostone; D015232:Dinoprostone