TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Severe PPH (n = 82) | Non‐severe PPH (n = 308) | Total (n = 390) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal age (years) a | 32 (28–36) | 32 (29–35) | 32 (29–35) | 0.98 |
| Gestational age (weeks) a | 39 (38–40) | 40 (38–41) | 39 (38–40) | 0.32 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) a | 25 (22–29) | 24 (22–28) | 24 (22–28) | 0.27 |
| Ethnicity, Caucasian, n (%) | 67 (81.7) | 270 (87.7) | 337 (86.4) | 0.16 |
| Multiparity, n (%) | 44 (53.7) | 152 (49.4) | 196 (50.3) | 0.49 |
| Multiple pregnancy, n (%) | 13 (15.9) | 22 (7.1) | 35 (9.0) | 0.01 |
| Pregnancy‐related hypertensive disease, n (%) | 10 (12.2) | 26 (8.4) | 36 (9.2) | 0.30 |
| Mode of birth, n (%) | 0.83 | |||
| Spontaneous vaginal birth | 56 (68.3) | 206 (66.9) | 262 (67.2) | |
| Instrumental vaginal birth | 7 (8.5) | 36 (11.7) | 43 (11.0) | |
| Planned cesarean section | 9 (11) | 40 (13.0) | 49 (12.6) | |
| Secondary cesarean section | 10 (12.2) | 26 (8.4) | 36 (9.2) | |
| Primary cause of PPH, n (%) | 0.02 | |||
| Uterine atony | 30 (36.6) | 114 (37.0) | 144 (36.9) | |
| Retained placenta or placental tissue | 37 (45.1) | 115 (37.3) | 152 (39.0) | |
| Abnormally invasive placenta | 5 (6.1) | 2 (0.6) | 7 (1.8) | |
| Placenta previa | 1 (1.2) | 5 (1.6) | 6 (1.5) | |
| Placental abruption | 1 (1.2) | 4 (1.3) | 5 (1.3) | |
| Laceration of the birth canal | 6 (7.3) | 32 (10.4) | 38 (9.7) | |
| Uterine rupture | 0 (0) | 4 (1.3) | 4 (1.0) | |
| Pre‐existent clotting disorder | 0 (0) | 1 (0.3) | 1 (0.3) | |
| Surgical trauma | 2 (2.4) | 31 (10.1) | 33 (8.5) | |
| Total amount of blood loss (ml) a | 2500 (2200–3000) | 1300 (1200–1600) | 1500 (1200–2000) | <0.001 |
| Hemoglobin level (mmol/L) a | 5.9 (5.0–6.9) | 6.4 (5.8–7.0) | 6.4 (5.6–7.0) | <0.001 |
| ICU admission because of PPH, n (%) | 4 (4.9) | 0 (0) | 4 (1.0) | <0.001 |
| Maternal mortality, n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | – |
Abbreviations: ICU, intensive care unit; PPH, postpartum hemorrhage.
a
Reported as median (interquartile ranges).