Accuracy of Blood Loss Estimation After Vaginal Delivery
Completed · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Postpartum Hemorrhage
In brief
Post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) is defined as blood loss greater than 500 mL after vaginal delivery. Delayed diagnosis of PPH is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Obstetricians estimate blood loss at delivery by visual estimation of blood collected in the obstetric drapes. Blood is often mixed with urine and surgical sponges. The urine, blood, and sponges collect in a cone shaped plastic bag that is suspended from the perineum during delivery. Visual estimation of blood loss is insensitive in diagnosing PPH. In one study visual assessment of blood loss underestimated postpartum blood loss by 33% to 50% compared to an objective measurement of blood loss using photospectrometry. Other studies have shown that the magnitude of underestimation increases as the amount of blood loss is increased. A limitation of previous studies is that there is no "gold standard" for blood loss determination in the third stage of labor. Care providers (obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and labor \& delivery nurses) need to be able to accurately estimate blood loss in order to better care for mothers and prevent morbidity and mortality. It is unknown whether provider type or experience (obstetric and anesthesiology resident, fellow, attending physicians, and nurses) influences the accuracy of blood loss estimation, or whether blood loss estimation can be improved by providing graduated markings on the vaginal delivery drape.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00462839
- Run by
- Northwestern University
- People needed
- 106
- Starts
- 2006-07-01
- Expected to finish
- 2008-04-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2014-04-14
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Any anesthesia or obstetric attending or resident may participate provided that they have rotated through obstetrics/obstetric anesthesia.
You may not qualify if…
- Any provider that does not complete all of the stations will be excluded from analysis. Any participant who chooses to withdraw from the study will also be excluded from the analysis.
Where it is running
- Northwestern University — Chicago, Illinois, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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