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Measurement of blood loss at childbirth and postpartum
J A Kavle1, S S Khalfan, R J Stoltzfus
1Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, Center for Human Nutrition, Baltimore, USA.
Objective:
To accurately measure blood loss during childbirth in a developing country.
Method:
The alkaline hematin technique was used to quantify blood lost during delivery and 24 h postpartum in 158 women in Pemba Island, Zanzibar.
Result:
Women were found to lose less blood during childbirth and 24 h postpartum than previously reported. Compared with laboratory values, nurse-midwives approximated blood loss accurately (mean difference, i.e., mean underestimation by nurse-midwives, 4.90 mL); however, their imprecision was greater for higher laboratory values.
Conclusion:
This study may prompt further investigation, as no comparable data exist for developing countries where maternal mortality is high and severe anemia prevalent.
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