title: Uterine packing versus Foley's catheter for the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage secondary to bleeding tendency in low-resource setting: A four-year observational study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effectiveness and safety of uterine packing versus Foley's catheter tamponade for controlling postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) secondary to bleeding tendency after vaginal delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective observational study conducted on 92 patients with primary PPH due to bleeding tendency following vaginal delivery who were unresponsive to uterotonics and bimanual compression of the uterus. Patients were divided into two groups, Uterine packing group (n = 45) and Foley catheter group (n = 47). The primary outcome was the success rate of the procedure. Secondary outcome addressed the maternal complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The use of uterine packing resulted in stoppage of active bleeding in 93.3% of cases compared to only 68.1% in the Foley's catheter group (p < 0.05). Although the rate of minor complications namely fever, pain and urinary complaints were higher in the uterine packing group, it does not reach to a significant difference when compared to the Foley's catheter (p > 0.05). Six cases who failed to Foley catheter tamponade underwent emergency hysterectomy with no cases in the uterine packing group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of uterine packing to arrest PPH is simple, quick and safe procedure to avoid further surgical interventions and to preserve the fertility in low-resource setting.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine , Menoufia University , Menoufia , Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rezk
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine , Menoufia University , Menoufia , Egypt.
authors.forename: Said
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine , Menoufia University , Menoufia , Egypt.
authors.forename: Abdelhamid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaheen
authors.affiliation: b Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine , Menoufia University , Menoufia , Egypt.
authors.forename: Tamer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fakhry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources; D006474:Hemorrhagic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015907:Hysteroscopy / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000628:therapy; D006473:Postpartum Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000628:therapy*; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D058738:Uterine Balloon Tamponade / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Foley catheter tamponade; Postpartum hemorrhage; uterine packing