Prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage: a comparison of 4 national guidelines.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare 4 national guidelines for the prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).


METHODS
We performed a descriptive analysis of guidelines from the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists practice bulletin, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Obstetrician and Gynaecologists (RCOG), and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada on PPH to determine differences, if any, with regard to definitions, risk factors, prevention, treatment, and resuscitation.


RESULTS
PPH was defined differently in all 4 guidelines. Risk factors that were emphasized in the guidelines conferred a high risk of catastrophic bleeding (eg, previous cesarean delivery and placenta previa). All organizations, except the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists, recommended active management of the third stage of labor for primary prevention of PPH in all vaginal deliveries. Oxytocin was recommended universally as the medication of choice for PPH prevention in vaginal deliveries. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and RCOG recommended development of a massive transfusion protocol to manage PPH resuscitation. Recommendations for nonsurgical treatment strategies such as uterine packing and balloon tamponade varied across all guidelines. All organizations recommended transfer to a tertiary care facility for suspicion of abnormal placentation. Specific indications for hysterectomy were not available in any guideline, with RCOG recommending hysterectomy "sooner rather than later" with the assistance of a second consultant.


CONCLUSIONS
Substantial variation exists in PPH prevention and management guidelines among 4 national organizations that highlights the need for better evidence and more consistent synthesis of the available evidence with regard to a leading cause of maternal death.
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nebraska Methodist Women's Hospital and Perinatal Center, Omaha, NE. Electronic address: joshua.dahlke@nmhs.org.
Joshua D
JD
Dahlke
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UT Health-University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX.
Hector
H
Mendez-Figueroa
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, RI.
Lindsay
L
Maggio
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, RI.
Alisse K
AK
Hauspurg
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, RI.
Jeffrey D
JD
Sperling
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UT Health-University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX.
Suneet P
SP
Chauhan
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, RI.
Dwight J
DJ
Rouse
D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D006473:Postpartum Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
guideline; management; postpartum hemorrhage; prevention