Hours after delivery are the most critical as serious complications such as postpartum hemorrhage.
It is one of the most frequent causes of maternal mortality, both in developed countries and in developing regions.
It occurs in approximately 6% of births and is due to the fact that once the baby and the placenta are expelled, the uterus does not contract or retract causing heavy bleeding.
Although the causes are varied, its increase in recent times is attributed to its close relationship with the increasing number of caesarean sections and one of its main disorders such as placental adhesions that can cause the scar.
The most common is to administer drugs to stimulate the contraction of the uterus, plug the birth canal to stop bleeding through pressure and correct bleeding disorders.
But unfortunately, when these measures do not work, you should go to an emergency surgery that can end the removal of the uterus, or in the worst case the bleeding can cause a shock and end the death of the mother.
For a few years, in some hospitals a new technique called "arterial catheter embolization" has been carried out that halved the removal of the uterus.
It consists of introducing small plastic tubes through arteries of the groin or arm and by radiological control take them to the uterine and vaginal arteries. With them, small gelatin sponge particles are placed to obstruct the circulation causing the bleeding to stop.
It is good news that new ways of treating postpartum hemorrhages arise, however I think it is also essential to attack the other side of the problem as are its avoidable causes. One of them is a high number of caesarean sections, so urgent measures must be taken to reduce them.
