Glove Balloon in Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Case Report

Abstract

Postpartum hemorrhage is a long-running and frequent cause of maternal death in most developing countries and is associated with uterine atony. Nowadays, balloon tamponade has gained popularity due to its advantages. It is a technically simple, safely applied, time saver, and easily removed in a low-risk method and also needs less expertise and no special equipment. Despite all advantages, the Bakri balloon is very expensive in less developed countries and not available everywhere, especially in limited resource settings. Such disadvantages prompted us to perform an innovative, cost-effective, and practical method relying on low-resource equipment and named it “Glove Balloon.” A 26-year-old woman presented in her third pregnancy underwent an elective cesarean section. Following the surgeon’s mention of low segment atony, the patient returned to the operating room quickly. The bleeding continued despite the administration of uterotonic drugs, and because of active bleeding, the decision was made to apply a glove balloon. After gently inserting the glove balloon into the uterus, 500 ccs of saline was inflated into the balloon, and the bleeding stopped shortly afterward. The patient was discharged on the third postoperative day and remained well after. We believe that junior obstetricians and midwives should consider all options, even new strategies, to stop hemorrhages before considering invasive surgical procedures. The “Glove Balloon” is an innovative, practical uterine tamponade balloon that can make the difference between life and death in treating postpartum hemorrhage cases and should be considered a life-saver tool in all settings.