A novel approach to reduce blood loss in patients with placenta accreta spectrum disorder

Cesarean hysterectomy for the treatment of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders has the potential to be associated with significant blood loss, massive transfusion, and operative morbidity. Two major contributors to blood loss are the hysterotomy and the bladder dissection. We introduce a new surgical technique and hypothesize that developing the hysterotomy with a linear cutter and mobilization of the bladder using a vessel sealing system (VSS) before clamping uterine arteries will lead to a total reduction in blood loss and transfusion rates.

This was a case series, which presents clinical outcomes according to our described surgical technique. The following surgical outcomes were collected: operation time (minutes), estimated blood loss (EBL), intraoperative complications, need for reoperation before discharge, and transfusion rates. Our surgical technique utilizes a linear cutter to create a bloodless hysterotomy and a VSS to dissect the vesicouterine tissue. The VSS cauterizes and transects the small vesicouterine and placental-vesical vascular anastomoses that are prone to bleeding. Once the bladder is mobilized below the level of the cervix, the uterine arteries are ligated to complete the key components of the hysterectomy.

Of the 23 cases, the median EBL was 1500 cubic centimeters and patients received a median of 1 unit of packed red blood cells. Eleven of the 23 cases did not require any blood transfusion and no patients required massive transfusion. The EBL did not differ between procedures that were performed emergently versus scheduled and it also did not differ between patients that had placenta increta versus placenta percreta, as diagnosed by histopathology.

Use of a linear cutter and closure of the lower anastomosis with VSS prior to clamping uterine artery during cesarean hysterectomy can significantly reduce blood loss and transfusion rates. This technique is applicable in emergent and nonemergent settings as well as for the most challenging procedures complicated by placenta percreta.