Balloon tamponade would be effective in preventing bleeding after childbirth

Giving life doesn’t just mean happy moments. Every day more than 800 women around the world die from childbirth-related hemorrhage. However, in the United States, a technique has existed since the early 1980s to alleviate this preventable condition: balloon uterine tamponade. Balloon uterine tamponade involves inserting a condom connected to a catheter into the uterus to stop the bleeding. The condom is filled with water until it completely touches the uterine wall. Thanks to this method, it is possible to make an internal compression of the uterus, which gradually stops the hemorrhage. According to the World Health Organization, postpartum hemorrhages account for 27% of maternal deaths.

Two previous studies, published in 2013 and 2019, had questioned the effectiveness of balloon uterine tamponade. However, the latest research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology confirm the effectiveness of the method.

The emergency department at Massachusetts General Hospital (USA), which has been using this method since the early 1980s, claims that balloon uterine tamponade is 86% more effective in preventing death in such cases.

An inexpensive technique that can be carried out by all hospitals

There are already methods to stop this heavy bleeding, such as emergency hysterectomy, or ligating the uterine artery, however, the high level of technicality that it requires does not place them within the reach of all hospitals around the world. It was with a view to offering a reliable and inexpensive technique that the tests for uterine tamponade by balloon were carried out.

In this new study, researcher Thomas Burke, director of the Global Health Innovation Lab in the emergency department of Massachusetts General Hospital, says that balloon uterine tamponade, which is a simple and inexpensive alternative, may be more effective in such cases. “The reason we are undertaking this study is that these two previous trials have caused much confusion and controversy about uterine tamponade. We therefore decided to adopt an extremely rigorous approach, bringing together all the world literature on this technique and inviting independent researchers to join it. It was a big project. ”

During the study, the researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of 91 randomized controlled trials, non-randomized studies and case series, and found that balloon uterine tamponade was effective in 85 , 9% of cases.

Save human lives

Thomas Burke deciphers this result: “What this really teaches us is that the difficulties encountered in these two tests related to the implementation of the program, and not to the device itself. Now, there is no doubt that the device works well, but saving a life is much more complex than simply giving someone a device that is new to their practice. We need to study how to integrate this device into a healthcare system so that professionals can use it, which would ultimately result in quality care. ”

In the study, it was also found that in the region of the world where balloon tamponade was used, maternal mortality had decreased significantly. “She has saved many lives, but there are still places where one in six women lose their lives due to pregnancy-related reasons and in 2020 this should never be the case. It’s a shame for humanity, “said Thomas Burke.