Ms. Chen, 33 years old, was admitted to Clifford Hospital due to “intrauterine pregnancy for 39 weeks and 4 days, lower abdominal distention and vaginal discharge for more than 1 hour.” After admission, labor proceed smoothly and she delivered a baby girl, weighing 3.6 kg. Later, fetal membranes and placenta were delivered. However, her uterus failed to contract after childbirth and hemorrhage occurred seriously with amount up to 4,000 ml. Considering postpartum hemorrhage, hemorrhagic shock, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), subtotal hysterectomy was performed on her in an emergency. And finally, the doctors brought her through. After 10 days, she was recovered and discharged.

Comment:

Postpartum hemorrhage, a severe complication of delivery, is excessive bleeding following childbirth. The main causes cover uterine atony, retained placenta, laceration of soft birth canal, and coagulopathy. In this case, postpartum hemorrhage occurred due to uterine atony, and the emergency treatment was performed immediately to save Ms. Chen’s life.