Management of secondary postpartum haemorrhage

The spectrum of illness in secondary PPH is vast. While some patients experience severe bleeding with haemodynamic instability, or even maternal death, more commonly the vaginal bleeding is less than with a primary PPH. However, the morbidity is still considerable, with many women requiring blood transfusion and surgical interventions such as hysterectomy (Hoveyda & MacKenzie, 2003). Breastfeeding, newborn bonding, and peripartum mental health are also impacted when prolonged inpatient care or repeated outpatient reviews are required. There are no randomised controlled trials or other high-quality research data to guide best management for women who present with a secondary PPH (Mavrides et al, 2016). With the exception of certain antibiotic regimes for postnatal endometritis, current management options for secondary PPH are, at best, based on Level 3 and Level 4 evidence. As such, most institutions and professional bodies do not have a specific policy or guideline to assist clinicians managing this relatively common complication, nor are there audit systems in place to assess safety and success of management. This prospective project aims to recruit women attending a single institution for the management of secondary PPH. This women will have baseline antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal data entered and then be invited to participate in a longitudinal study collecting survey-based data every 6months for 36months. A nested cohort study will arise from the patients managed surgically (group managed with traditional suction curette, compared to those managed hysteroscopically).