The control of postpartum haemorrhage with intrauterine Foley catheter

Obstetric haemorrhage is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in developing countries. It leads to severe anaemia haemorrhagic shock and even death. Its management requires aggressive approach to arrest haemorrhage and then replace the lost blood. The poorly organised blood transfusion services and the associated risk of transmission of serious infections like Human Immuno-deficiency Virus and Hepatitis have made the management of obstetric haemorrhage more challenging. Methods that reduced blood loss are generally advocated. The use of a Foleys catheter to control postpartum haemorrhage has been previously reported. We hereby describe a simple procedure for its use as demonstrated in these two cases. (excerpt)