Practice Bulletin No. 183: Postpartum Hemorrhage

Maternal hemorrhage, defined as a cumulative blood loss of greater than or equal to 1,000 mL or blood loss accompanied by signs or symptoms of hypovolemia within 24 hours after the birth process, remains the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide (1). Additional important secondary sequelae from hemorrhage exist and include adult respiratory distress syndrome, shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, acute renal failure, loss of fertility, and pituitary necrosis (Sheehan syndrome).Hemorrhage that leads to blood transfusion is the leading cause of severe maternal morbidity in the United States closely followed by disseminated intravascular coagulation (2). In the United States, the rate of…