Use of a uterine tourniquet as a temporising measure during transfer of patients with obstetric hemorrhage : review

Haemorrhage is the second commonest cause of maternal death and the leading direct cause, accounting for 14.1% of all deaths during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium. Deaths from postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) during or following Caesarean Section (CS) is of serious concern and the National Committee on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths (NCCEMD) in South Africa has identified it as a priority issue as 26.2% of obstetric hemorrhage (OH) deaths were associated with abdominal deliveries. Furthermore, the clinical impression is that CS rates have been increasing over the last decade in South Africa.