The Efficacy of External Aortic Compression in the Management of Postpartum Haemorrhage in a High-Resource Setting: A Case Series

This case series presents four cases of postpartum haemorrhage arising from a range of clinical scenarios other than the classical indication of atony. All cases were treated with external aortic compression as a temporising measure. External aortic compression is a technique that may provide a safe and effective means of limiting bleeding in postpartum haemorrhage; however, the technique has not been extensively studied in clinical trials. These four cases contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the use and safety of external aortic compression. The four clinical cases presented illustrate the use of external aortic compression in different clinical settings. Case one had a bicornuate uterus and suffered PPH due to retained placenta after a vaginal delivery and was transferred to the operating theatre, Case two was a caesarean section with an undiagnosed placenta accreta, Case three had a vaginal delivery with retained placenta treated at the maternity ward, and Case four had a vaginal delivery with placenta accreta, that ultimately proceeded to a hysterectomy in theatre due to the inability to deliver the placenta safely. This case series shows that external aortic compression can be used as a temporising measure across different clinical scenarios and causes for PPH in a high-resource setting. There is a definite need for further research into this important field within obstetric care, as increased use of external aortic compression, being a simple, teachable, and potentially life-saving procedure, can make a significant impact on maternal morbidity and mortality in both high- and low-resource settings.