RT Book, Section A1 Reichman, Eric F. SR Print(0) ID 57715085 T1 Chapter 135. Postpartum Hemorrhage Management T2 Emergency Medicine Procedures, 2e YR 2013 FD 2013 PB The McGraw-Hill Companies PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-161352-1 LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=57715085 RD 2024/03/29 AB Postpartum hemorrhage, or excessive blood loss following delivery, is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. It is traditionally defined as blood loss greater than 500 mL after vaginal delivery and 1000 mL after a cesarean section.1 This is impractical because the normal blood loss is believed to be 300 to 500 mL following a vaginal delivery and 900 to 1200 mL following a cesarean section.2 It has also been defined as blood loss that results in a decrease in the hematocrit of greater than 10 points between admission and the postpartum period, which corresponds to the 97th percentile of vaginal and 92nd percentile of cesarean deliveries.1,2 A clinically useful definition is excessive bleeding that results in signs and/or symptoms of hypovolemia (e.g., tachycardia, hypotension, oliguria, dizziness, palpitations, syncope, and/or shortness of breath), which corresponds to a 10% or more loss in total blood volume.3 Postpartum hemorrhage can occur at sites within or external to the genitourinary tract (Table 135-1).