Serum fibrinogen levels could be an index of successful use of balloon tamponade in postpartum hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: The object of our study was to determine whether serum fibrinogen levels could be used to predict the success rates of balloon tamponade and decrease the use of invasive methods.

METHODS: This retrospective study, conducted at Rinku General Medical Center, was aimed to identify factors associated with high success rates in balloon tamponade. Forty-six patients with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), non-responsive to uterotonics and treated with balloon tamponade between April 2008 and March 2015, were included.

RESULTS: Forty-six women were included, of which 34 underwent vaginal delivery and 12 underwent cesarean delivery. There were no complications from balloon tamponade and its success rate was 73.3%. Seven women required additional procedures: One used gauze packing, three used uterine artery embolization, and five underwent peripartum hysterectomy. The cut-off line of serum fibrinogen level was 172.5 mg/dL (P=0.002) with its 77.4% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity.

CONCLUSION: We recommend measuring serum fibrinogen level for predicting whether the balloon tamponade can be used successfully or not.