Table 1.
Bleeding characteristics at time of inclusion of women with persistent postpartum haemorrhage, as compared with women with different cut-off values for estimations of blood loss within 24 h following birth. Women with higher volumes of blood loss are included in the cohorts starting with lower volumes of blood loss
| Bleeding characteristic | Persistent postpartum haemorrhage (N = 1260) | Blood loss ≥1000 mL (N = 1391) | Blood loss ≥1500 mL (N = 1344) | Blood loss ≥2000 mL (N = 1252) | Blood loss ≥2500 mL (N = 1050) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time from birth till inclusion of patients – no. (%) | |||||
| < 1 h | 820 (65.1) | 819 (58.7) | 553 (41.1) | 309 (24.7) | 160 (15.2) |
| ≥ 1–2 h | 251 (19.9) | 318 (22.9) | 385 (28.6) | 419 (33.5) | 341 (32.5) |
| ≥ 2 h | 189 (15.0) | 257 (18.5) | 406 (30.2) | 524 (41.9) | 549 (52.3) |
| Mode of birth - no. (%) | |||||
| Vaginal | 967 (76.7) | 1032 (74.2) | 1002 (74.6) | 945 (75.5) | 792 (75.4) |
| Caesarean | 285 (22.6) | 351 (25.2) | 3354 (24.9) | 301 (24.0) | 253 (24.1) |
| Unknown | 8 (0.6) | 8 (0.6) | 7 (0.5) | 6 (0.5) | 5 (0.5) |
| Cause of haemorrhage – no. (%) | |||||
| Uterine atony | 805 (63.9) | 901 (64.8) | 874 (65.0) | 824 (65.8) | 685 (65.2) |
| Retained placenta | 219 (17.4) | 231 (16.6) | 227 (16.9) | 207 (16.5) | 172 (16.4) |
| Abnormally invasive placenta | 113 (9.0) | 113 (8.1) | 107 (8.0) | 100 (8.0) | 89 (8.5) |
| Placenta previa | 12 (1.0) | 19 (1.4) | 19 (1.4) | 18 (1.4) | 17 (1.6) |
| Placental abruption | 12 (1.0) | 28 (2.0) | 24 (1.8) | 18 (1.4) | 16 (1.5) |
| Surgical cause | 92 (7.3) | 92 (6.6) | 87 (6.5) | 81 (6.5) | 69 (6.6) |
| Pre-existent coagulation disorder | 7 (0.6) | 7 (0.5) | 6 (0.4) | 4 (0.3) | 2 (0.2) |
| Bleeding rate – no. (%) | |||||
| < 1 L/hr. | 457 (36.3) | 496 (35.7) | 508 (37.8) | 499 (39.9) | 432 (41.1) |
| ≥ 1-2 L/hr. | 316 (25.1) | 332 (23.9) | 315 (23.4) | 302 (24.1) | 266 (25.3) |
| ≥ 2 L/hr. | 481 (38.2) | 552 (39.7) | 513 (38.2) | 445 (35.5) | 349 (33.2) |
| Unknown | 6 (0.5) | 11 (0.8) | 8 (0.6) | 6 (0.5) | 3 (0.3) |
| Signs of haemorrhagic shock – no. (%) | |||||
| No | 344 (27.3) | 416 (29.9) | 385 (28.6) | 295 (23.6) | 190 (18.1) |
| Yes | 580 (46.0) | 488 (35.1) | 693 (51.6) | 811 (64.8) | 782 (74.5) |
| Unknown | 336 (26.7) | 487 (35.0) | 266 (19.8) | 146 (11.7) | 78 (7.4) |
| Packed red blood cells transfused – no. (%) | |||||
| No | 1196 (94.9) | 1271 (91.4) | 1145 (85.2) | 888 (70.9) | 536 (51.0) |
| Yes | 64 (5.1) | 120 (8.6) | 199 (14.8) | 364 (29.1) | 514 (49.0) |