Ever-increasing incidence of postpartum haemorrhage in Hong Kong: a perspective

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality.In 2022, the incidence of PPH in Hong Kong increased to a historic high of 14.7%, despite advances in prevention and treatment modalities such as the use of uterotonics, balloon tamponade, and compression sutures.Were the prevention and treatment modalities ineffective or were pregnant women at higher risk of PPH? Factors behind the increasing incidence of PPH include: (1) computerisation of medical records and improved coding resulting in increased awareness and openness in reporting; (2) higher maternal risks such as advanced maternal age, increasing rates of Caesarean section and thus previous Caesarean sections; and (3) increasing use of low-dose aspirin and low-molecularweight heparin.