Table 1.

Background Information for National and International Obstetric Societies' Postpartum Hemorrhage Guidelines

	ACOG—USA	SOGC—Canada	RCOG—UK	RANZCOG—Australia, New Zealand	D-A-CH—Germany, Austria, Switzerland	International Expert Panela	National Partnership for Maternal Safety	CNGOF—France
Year of publication	2006 (reaffirmed in 2015)	2009	2009; minor revisions in 2011	2014; amended in 2015	2014b	2014	2015	2016
Guideline committee	The ACOG committee on practice bulletins	The SOGC clinical practice obstetrics committee	The RCOG guidelines and audit committee. Peer review of guidelines by representatives from obstetrics, anesthesiology, hematology, blood service, Jehovah's Witness organization, and midwifery.	The RANZCOG Women's Health Committee including representatives from obstetrics, general practice, consumer groups, and midwifery.	A cross-border algorithm action team with representatives from obstetrics, anesthesiology, and critical care.	International experts in obstetrics, hematology, and anesthesiology	Council on Patient Safety in Women's Health Care. Guidelines committee comprises representatives from anesthesia, obstetric, blood bank, family practice, nurse, and midwifery societies	The CNGOF appointed a steering committee to define questions for experts. The experts reviewed the literature to answer questions raised. Experts comprised obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and midwives. Conflicts of interest were described
Definitions for PPH	EBL > 500 mL (VD). EBL > 1000 mL (CD)	The volume of EBL that causes hemodynamic instability	Minor PPH: EBL 500–1000 mL. Moderate PPH: EBL 1000–2000 mL. Severe PPH: EBL >2000 mLb OR Clinical signs of shock	EBL > 500 mL. Severe PPH: EBL ≥1000 mL OR Clinical signs of shock	EBL > 500 mL within 24 h after delivery. Severe PPH: EBL >1500–2000 mL or EBL > 150 mL/min or EBL >50% of the circulating volume within 3 h	Active bleeding >1000 mL within 24 h after birth that continues despite the use of initial measures including first-line uterotonic agents and uterine massage	Cumulative blood loss of ≥1000 mL or blood loss accompanied by signs and symptoms of hypovolemia within 24 h of delivery	EBL ≥ 500 mL. Severe PPH: EBL ≥1000 mL
Details of literature searches and other sources of information	Medline, Cochrane library, ACOG internal resources and documents. English language publications between 1901 and 2006. Expert opinions also considered.	Medline, PubMed, Cochrane database of systematic reviews, ACP journal club, BMJ Clinical Evidence. Publications between 1995 and 2007	Cochrane library, Trip database, Medline, PubMed. Human studies and English language publications between 2002 and 2007. National Library for Health and National Guidelines Clearing House were also searched.	Literature search; no specific details provided. Expert opinions also considered.	Existing national and international guidelines plus a review of the literature	PubMed	No specific details provided	Medline, Cochrane library, bibliographies of articles. Search restricted to English and French language articles up to mid-2014. Articles considered included original research, review articles, guidelines from other obstetric societies and agencies.
Were criteria used to assess the quality and strength of evidence?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Was a rating system used for the strength of recommendations?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes

Abbreviations: ACOG, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; ACP American College of Physicians; CD, cesarean delivery; CNGOF, French College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (in collaboration with the French Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care); D-A-CH, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; EBL, estimated blood loss; RANZCOG, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists; RCOG, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists; SOGC, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada; VD, vaginal delivery.

^aMembers of an expert panel were convened in November 2011. Consensus recommendations were published in Transfusion 2014; 54: 1756–68. Financial support for the consensus meeting was provided by CSL Behring (Marburg, Germany). Experts received funding support and honoraria from CSL Behring to attend the consensus meeting. No other conflicts of interest of funding sources were declared.

^bArticle was first published in Der Frauenarzt 2013:11:1072–80.