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.

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.