Anesthetic Management of Placental Abruption in Sub-Saharan Africa

Introduction: Placental abruption is defined as the premature detachment of a normally inserted placenta.It is a hemorrhagic complication that may engage the maternal-fetal prognosis.Its management is multidisciplinary but remains delicate both obstetrically and anesthetically. Methodology:We conducted a retrospective and descriptive study over an 18-month period from January, 2023 to July, 2024.The data included epidemiological variables and anesthetic elements in perioperative. Results:We collected 39 cases of placental abruption.The prevalence of placental abruption was 3.1%.The average age of patients was 27.9 years.The gestational age was on average 34.2WG (weeks of gestation).A maternal rescue was indicated in 55.2% of cases.Paucigests and pauciparous women were the most represented with 36.7% and 43% respectively.Clinical anemia was noted in 33.3% of cases with a mean hemoglobin level of 9.26 g/dL and extremes of 4.5 and 12.9 g/dL.General anesthesia with rapid sequence intubation was the most used anesthetic technique in 73.3%.Ketamine was the most commonly used hypnotic.Blood transfusion was done in 25.64% of patients with whole blood.A hysterectomy of hemostasis was performed in 10.26% of the patients.No deaths on the operating table were noted. Conclusion:This study highlights the need to make available anesthetic products in sufficient quantities for efficient perioperative management of patients in a state of shock, to equip blood banks with equipment and maternity wards with diagnostic assistance devices.