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Postpartum hemorrhage

Last reviewed: 26 Sep 2025
Last updated: 18 Apr 2024

Summary

Definition

História e exame físico

Principais fatores diagnósticos

  • estimated blood loss ≥1000 mL within 24 hours of birth (including intrapartum loss)
  • uterine atony
  • obstetric lacerations and/or expanding hematomas
  • signs of hypovolemia
  • hypotension
  • retained tissue (placenta, membranes, or placenta accreta spectrum)
  • uterine defect on bimanual examination
Detalhes completos

Outros fatores diagnósticos

  • symptoms of hypovolemia
  • uterine tenderness (secondary PPH)
  • signs of infection, e.g., fever (secondary PPH)
Detalhes completos

Fatores de risco

  • placenta previa/low lying placenta
  • placenta accreta spectrum
  • platelet count <50,000 per microliter
  • active antepartum bleeding
  • inherited coagulopathy
  • acquired coagulopathy
  • history of PPH in prior delivery
  • operative (assisted) vaginal delivery
  • current use of therapeutic anticoagulation
  • prior cesarean delivery, uterine surgery, or multiple laparotomies
  • uterine overdistension (multiple gestation, polyhydramnios, fetal macrosomia with estimated fetal weight >4000 g)
  • grand multiparity (>4 prior births)
  • large uterine myomas
  • class III obesity (BMI >40)
  • pre-existing maternal anemia
  • prolonged labor or precipitous delivery
  • labor induction or augmentation with prolonged use of oxytocin
  • magnesium sulfate use
  • cesarean delivery
  • placental abruption
  • severe preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome
  • intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD)
  • intrapartum infection
  • SSRI or SNRI use in the month before delivery
Detalhes completos

Investigações diagnósticas

Primeiras investigações a serem solicitadas

  • quantification of blood loss
  • blood type and crossmatch
Detalhes completos

Investigações a serem consideradas

  • CBC
  • uterine ultrasound
  • coagulation profile (PT, PTT, INR, fibrinogen)
  • inherited coagulation assays
  • diagnostic laparotomy
  • CT abdomen/pelvis
Detalhes completos

Novos exames

  • thromboelastography (TEG) or rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM®)
  • app-based blood loss quantification technology

Algoritmo de tratamento

AGUDA

primary postpartum hemorrhage: initial presentation

primary postpartum hemorrhage: refractory to initial interventions

secondary postpartum hemorrhage

CONTÍNUA

postpartum hemorrhage resolved

Colaboradores

Autores

Dena Goffman, MD

Vice Chair for Quality and Patient Safety

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

New York

NY

Disclosures

DG declares ongoing advisory board roles for Cooper Surgical Obstetrical Safety Council and Organon Jada Scientific Advisory Board; prior PPH educational speaker roles for PRIME, Haymarket, and Laborie; principal investigator for Treating Abnormal Postpartum Uterine Bleeding or Postpartum Hemorrhage with the Jada System-A Postmarket Registry 6/2021 (grant money paid to institution); NIH grant money paid to institution for Effectiveness of Pictographs to Prevent Wrong-Patient Errors in the NICU, and MPI Simulation for Attending Obstetricians to Improve Technical Skills for Managing Postpartum Hemorrhage; none of the above included an obligation to speak on or disseminate product information.

Lilly Liu, MD, MPH

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

New York

NY

Disclosures

LL declares that she has no competing interests.

Lisa Nathan, MD

Chief of Obstetrics

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

New York

NY

Disclosures

LN has been paid to speak at an Organon symposium on the Jada System for obstetric hemorrhage management.

Peer reviewers

John C. Smulian, MD, MPH

Chair

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

University of Florida College of Medicine

Gainesville

FL

Disclosures

JCS declares that he has no competing interests.

Dilly O. C. Anumba, MBBS, MD, FRCOG, FWACS, LLM

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

University of Sheffield

Consultant in Obstetrics and Fetomaternal Medicine

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Sheffield

UK

Divulgaciones

DOCA declares that he has no competing interests.

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Referencias

Nuestros equipos internos de evidencia y editoriales colaboran con colaboradores expertos internacionales y revisores pares para garantizar que brindemos acceso a la información más clínicamente relevante posible.

Artículos principales

Committee on Practice Bulletins-Obstetrics. Practice bulletin no. 183: postpartum hemorrhage. Obstet Gynecol. 2017 Oct;130(4):e168-86. Resumen

Main EK, Goffman D, Scavone BM, et al. National partnership for maternal safety: consensus bundle on obstetric hemorrhage. Obstet Gynecol. 2015 Jul;126(1):155-62.Texto completo  Resumen

World Health Organization. WHO recommendations for the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage. 2012 [internet publication].Texto completo  Resumen

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Safe Motherhood Initiative: obstetric hemorrhage bundle [internet publication].Texto completo

Goffman D, Ananth CV, Fleischer A, et al. The New York State Safe Motherhood Initiative: early impact of obstetric hemorrhage bundle implementation. Am J Perinatol. 2019 Nov;36(13):1344-50. Resumen

Bienstock JL, Eke AC, Hueppchen NA. Postpartum hemorrhage. N Engl J Med. 2021 Apr 29;384(17):1635-45.Texto completo  Resumen

World Health Organization. WHO recommendations: uterotonics for the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage. 2018 [internet publication].Texto completo  Resumen

World Health Organization. WHO recommendation on routes of oxytocin administration for the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal birth. 2020 [internet publication].Texto completo  Resumen

World Health Organization. WHO recommendations on the assessment of postpartum blood loss and use of a treatment bundle for postpartum haemorrhage. 2023 [internet publication].Texto completo  Resumen

Althabe F, Therrien MNS, Pingray V, et al. Postpartum hemorrhage care bundles to improve adherence to guidelines: a WHO technical consultation. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2020 Mar;148(3):290-9.Texto completo  Resumen

World Health Organization. WHO recommendation on tranexamic acid for the treatment of postpartum haemorrhage. 2017 [internet publication].Texto completo  Resumen

World Health Organization. WHO recommendation on uterine balloon tamponade for the treatment of postpartum haemorrhage. 2021 [internet publication].Texto completo  Resumen

Artículos de referencia

Una lista completa de las fuentes a las que se hace referencia en este tema está disponible para los usuarios con acceso a todo BMJ Best Practice.
  • Postpartum hemorrhage images
  • Guías de práctica clínica

    • Practice bulletin no. 183: postpartum hemorrhage
    • WHO recommendations for the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage
    Más Guías de práctica clínica
  • Videos

    Female urethral catheterization: animated demonstration

    Venepuncture and phlebotomy: animated demonstration

    Más vídeos
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