Hemostatic Assessment of Postpartum Hemorrhage Using Sonoclot Signature

Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Rapid diagnosis and early management improve maternal prognosis.

Postpartum hemorrhage is defined by a blood loss exceeding 500 ml during the 24 h after delivery.

There are many causes of postpartum hemorrhage. Most cases develop from uterine atony, which accounts for 75% of cases. Even though there are risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage, it is still an unpredictable obstetric emergency.

Coagulation plays an important role in postpartum hemostasis. Primary and especially secondary coagulation disorders are risk factors for Postpartum hemorrhage.

When bleeding occurs, the decrease in fibrinogen levels is the most rapid change observed among markers of coagulation. Recent studies show that fibrinogen concentration during the initial management of Postpartum hemorrhage is the most informative biological marker for the severity of the hemorrhage.

Various methods are used to record coagulation profile. One of them is estimation by sonoclot.

Viscoelastic hemostatic assays devices (such as sonoclot) have practical advantages as point-of-care devices for monitoring major hemorrhage including a set of parameters that assesses a global coagulation profile like fibrinogen and platelet count.

Identification of coagulopathy by viscoelastic point-of-care testing can be helpful in guiding management of Postpartum hemorrhage and preventing severe maternal outcomes.