Complications of Obstetric Hemorrhage in the Antepartum and Postpartum Periods

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Pregnancy and childbirth is a natural process of life in result of timely ovulation and fertilization (Bledsoe, Porter & Cherry, 2011). Child delivery occurs daily, usually requiring minimal assistance, however complications can and do arise and as health care professionals it is in our duty to be able to recognise them quickly in order to manage them accordingly (Bledsoe et al., 2011). This essay will focus on complications of obstetric haemorrhage (OH) in the antepartum and postpartum periods. As described by Mosby, (2010) antepartum hemorrhage (APH) is any form of bleeding coming from a pregnant uterus with a normally positioned placenta, in particular after the 28th week of gestation. In comparison, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is classified as excessive amounts of bleeding immediately following childbirth. A small amount of bleeding is normal but if it amounts to more than 500ml intervention is required (Mosby, 2010). Additionally, this essay will discuss the epidemiology, assessment, presentation and pre-hospital management (PHM) principles for incidence of both types of OH while in conjunction it will explore critical appraisals of current treatments and discover ethical and cultural diversities within the medical sector of this specialised population. OH is the leading cause of maternal mortality globally, responsible for approximately 25% of the 300,000 maternal deaths estimated annually (El Ayadi et al., 2013). Substandard care, which includes delayed diagnoses and institution of timely and appropriate treatment, was identified in 80% of maternal deaths (Ratnam et al., 2008). The majority of these maternal deaths occur in resource-limited settings (Sutherland et al., 2013). PPH causes the most maternal deaths and is lar... ... middle of paper ... ...ca, 89(8), 1096-1099. doi:10.3109/00016349.2012.481015 St John New Zealand. (2013). Clinical Practise Guidelines 2013-2015. Wellington, New Zealand: St John New Zealand. Sutherland, T., Downing, J., Miller, S., Bishai, D. M., Butrick, E., Fathalla, M. F., Mourad-Youssif, M., Ojengbede, O., & Kahn, J. G. (2013). Use of the Non-Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG) for Life-Threatening Obstetric Hemorrhage: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Egypt and Nigeria. Plos ONE, 8(4), 1-8. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062282 Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. (2012). Story: Papatuanuku- the land. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/papatuanuku-the-land/page-4 The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumer’s Right 1996. (2009). Health and disability commissioner. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.hdc.org.nz/the-act--code/the-code-of-rights

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