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A rapid and effective approach to building a life-saving multidisciplinary team for transferred postpartum
Pei-Hsiu Yu1,2,3, Kuo-Shu Hung4, Lin Kang1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Background:
Establishing an efficient multidisciplinary team for transferred postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) cases is challenging due to limited clinical exposure. We hypothesised that leveraging trauma team experience could effectively facilitate the development of such a team within a short timeframe.
Methods:
In September 2019, a multidisciplinary team was established at our tertiary care centre to provide rapid management of critical PPH cases transferred from the obstetric clinic, prioritising immediate resuscitation and haemostatic interventions. This historical cohort study (2017-2022) compared outcomes before (2017-2018, before group [BG]) and after (2019-2022, after group [AG]) team establishment. Outcomes included process-related quality indicators, clinical measures such as length of hospital stay, intensive care unit (ICU) days, presence of the lethal triad, and hysterectomy rate.
Results:
Of the 71 PPH patients transferred during the study period, 24 were in the BG and 47 in the AG. The AG demonstrated higher use of tranexamic acid (33.33% vs. 74.47%, P = 0.002), shorter time to the first blood transfusion (11 vs. 8 min, P = 0.029), and increased rates of arrival in the operating room within 60 min (25% vs. 80%, P = 0.014). Clinical outcomes showed reduced rates of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (16.67% vs. 0%, P = 0.011) and shorter ICU stays (4 vs. 1 day, P = 0.005) in the AG.
Conclusions:
Leveraging trauma team expertise is an effective strategy for establishing a multidisciplinary PPH team, significantly improving outcomes for critically ill PPH patients transferred from obstetric clinics.
