A Comparative Study of Postpartum Blood Loss Using Visual Method and Blood Collection Drape in a Northwestern Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Postpartum blood loss is an important indicator of postpartum blood hemorrhage (PPH), which is the commonest cause of maternal death worldwide. Accurate measurement of postpartum blood loss is invaluable in the prompt diagnosis of PPH and treatment. There are various methods of measurement of postpartum blood which have shown varying degrees of accuracy in several studies. Objective: To compare postpartum blood loss using visual method and blood collection drape. Methodology: Three hundred and twenty seven consenting parturients who had vaginal deliveries were randomized into visual estimation and BRASSS-V drape group.  The visual group had blood loss estimated using pictorial aids. BRASSS-V group had blood estimated using calibrations on the drape. Both groups had pre-delivery and post-delivery hemoglobin estimation. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23. Independent and paired T test was used to test for associations, p<0.05 was set as level of significance. Results: Prevalence of PPH was 9.6% for the visual group and 12.5% for the drape group. The mean blood loss for the visual group was 271.7mls±235.9mls and 331.8mls±295.1mls for the drape group.This was statistically significant (p=0.043). Mean hemoglobin change in both groups was statistically significant (p=0.000) Conclusion: The standardized visual method was not comparable to the direct method of postpartum blood loss measurement. Thus the drape method is a more accurate method of blood loss estimation.