The increasing role of a retained placenta in postpartum blood loss: a cohort study.

PURPOSE: To describe the association between quantity of blood loss, duration of the third stage of labour, retained placenta and other risk factors, and to describe the role of a retained placenta depending on the cutoff used to define postpartum haemorrhage. METHODS: Cohort study of all vaginal deliveries at two Danish maternity units between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2013 (n = 43,357), univariate and multivariate linear regression statistical analyses. RESULTS: A retained placenta was shown to be a strong predictor of quantity of blood loss and duration of the third stage of labour a weak predictor of quantity of blood loss. The predictive power of the third stage of labour was further reduced in the multivariate analysis when including retained placenta in the model. There was an increase in the role of a retained placenta depending on the cutoff used to define postpartum haemorrhage, increasing from 12% in cases of blood loss ≥ 500 ml to 53% in cases of blood loss ≥ 2000 ml CONCLUSION: The predictive power of duration of the third stage of labour in regard to postpartum blood loss was diminished by the influence of a retained placenta. A retained placenta was, furthermore, present in the majority of most severe cases.

Management of severe perioperative bleeding: guidelines from the European Society of Anaesthesiology.

The aims of severe perioperative bleeding management are three-fold. First, preoperative identification by anamesis and laboratory testing of those patients for whom the perioperative bleeding risk may be increased. Second, implementation of strategies for correcting preoperative anaemia and stabilisation of the macro- and microcirculations in order to optimise the patient's tolerance to bleeding. Third, targeted procoagulant interventions to reduce the amount of bleeding, morbidity, mortality and costs. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide an overview of current knowledge on the subject with an assessment of the quality of the evidence in order to allow anaesthetists throughout Europe to integrate this knowledge into daily patient care wherever possible. The Guidelines Committee of the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) formed a task force with members of scientific subcommittees and individual expert members of the ESA. Electronic databases were searched without language restrictions from the year 2000 until 2012. These searches produced 20 664 abstracts. Relevant systematic reviews with meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional surveys were selected. At the suggestion of the ESA Guideline Committee, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) grading system was initially used to assess the level of evidence and to grade recommendations. During the process of guideline development, the official position of the ESA changed to favour the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. This report includes general recommendations as well as specific recommendations in various fields of surgical interventions. The final draft guideline was posted on the ESA website for four weeks and the link was sent to all ESA members. Comments were collated and the guidelines amended as appropriate. When the final draft was complete, the Guidelines Committee and ESA Board ratified the guidelines.

Recombinant factor VIIa in postpartum haemorrhage.

Recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) has of April 2022 been approved by the European Medicines Agency for treatment of severe postpartum haemorrhage. The extended approval is based on one small open-label, non-blinded randomized trial of 84 women from 2015 showing reduced "second line" treatment, but also increased risk of thromboembolism. Systematic use of tranexamic acid and timely coagulation assessment with thromboelastography/rotational thromboelastometry are not applied. Danish and international societies recommend that rFVIIa is reserved as a last option in severe life-threatening cases of postpartum haemorrhage.

The role of fibrinogen and haemostatic assessment in postpartum haemorrhage: preparations for a randomised controlled trial.

Pregnancy is a state of hypercoagulobility that might be an evolutionary way of protecting parturients from exsanguination following child birth. Observational studies suggest an association between a low level of fibrinogen (coagulation factor I) at the start of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) and subsequent severity of bleeding. Fibrinogen concentrate may be prescribed to correct acquired hypofibrinogenaemia, but evidence is lacking regarding the treatment efficacy. This thesis assesses the current evidence for the use of fibrinogen concentrate and haemostatic assessment in bleeding patients with special attention to the obstetrical population. It includes five papers: In Paper I the benefits or harms of fibrinogen concentrate in bleeding patients in general was evaluated using a systematic Cochrane review methodology with metaanalysis of all published randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Six trials with high risk of bias were included (248 patients). Fibrinogen appeared to reduce the need of allogenic transfusions by 53%. However, the included trials were conducted only in an elective surgical setting with a population of mainly cardiac surgical patients. Paper II was also a systematic review based on Cochrane methodology evaluating the use of viscoelastic haemostatic assays to guide haemostatic transfusion in bleeding patients. Nine RCTs (776 patients) with high risk of bias were included primarily in elective cardiac surgical patients and none were specific for the obstetric subpopulation. Viscoelastic haemostatic assay guided transfusion algorithm reduced blood loss and the proportion of patients exposed to fresh frozen plasma (FFP) or platelets. In both studies, we were unable to make firm conclusion on our primary outcome, "all cause mortality" due to lack of adequate data. Paper III was based on two national Danish registries evaluating the predictability of postpartum blood transfusion. Prediction was found difficult. However, retained placental parts seemed to be the strongest predictor. Since this diagnosis is made very late and often in association with the onset of bleeding, tools to perform an early diagnosis is highly warranted. Paper IV includes recommendations of the European Society of Anaesthesiology regarding the use of fibrinogen concentrate in PPH, and is based on very weak (GRADE 2) evidence and low confidence in estimates of effect (GRADE C). Paper V describes the protocol for a RCT of early fibrinogen supplementation in women with severe postpartum haemorrhage. Several practical, ethical and trial management challenges need to be addressed when conducting independent clinical research involving parturients with severe bleeding, placebo-controlled and blinded administration of a drug in a multicenter set-up with enrolments during the entire day and with many personnel involved.

[Hyperfibrinolysis as the cause of haemorrhage and increased mortality in trauma patients]. / Hyperfibrinolyse som årsag til blødning og øget mortalitet hos traumepatienter.

Trauma-associated coagulopathies are at times present upon arrival at the emergency department. Hyperfibrinolysis is a condition in which the natural ability to dissolve blood clots is pathologically enhanced. It is present in 2-8% of trauma patients and associated with shock and increased mortality. Hyperfibrinolysis is easily detected by thromboelastography. The condition is treated with antifibrinolytics such as tranexamic acid--whereas transfusion with blood products is inefficient. This article explores the mechanisms and diagnostics of hyperfibrinolysis in trauma patients and the relevant treatment options.