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Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a direct cause of maternal death all over the world. A Bakri balloon is recommended by American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and World Health Organization (WHO) as a treatment line for PPH unresponsive to uterotonics. We carried out a systematic review to assess the safety and effectiveness of Bakri balloon in the management of PPH. Methods: We searched PubMed, SCOPUS, central Cochrane, and Web of Science, from 2001 to 2018 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies to assess the safety and effectiveness of Bakri balloon on refractory PPH. Results: Twenty-eight articles were included for analysis. The primary indication for the use of a Bakri balloon tamponade was PPH. Only 67.9% (19/28) quantified the estimate blood loss necessary to use the balloon. Uterine atony was the underlying cause of PPH in 75% (21/28) of studies. Most of the studies on Bakri balloon are followed by vaginal birth (3/4). Bakri balloon displacement from the uterine cavity was reported by five publications, with the overall rate being 9% (95% CI: 5-15%). Hysterectomy was necessary for 1% (95% CI: 0-8%) of the women who required the balloon. Conclusions: Bakri balloon seems to be a less effective tool for management of PPH either after vaginal or cesarean delivery.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of prophylactic bilateral uterine artery ligation (BUAL) in reducing the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) during cesarean delivery among women at risk of uterine atony., Methods: A randomized clinical trial at Cairo University Maternity Hospital, Egypt, from December 2017 to December 2018. Women at risk of uterine atony undergoing scheduled or emergency cesarean were randomized to two groups. In the BUAL group, women underwent BUAL before placental delivery; in the control group, women had cesarean delivery without BUAL. The primary outcome was the estimated blood loss during cesarean., Results: Intraoperative blood loss during cesarean was significantly lower in the BUAL group than in the control group (523.4 ± 41.0 vs 619.6 ± 36.1 mL; P=0.003). Blood loss in the first 6 hours after cesarean was also significantly lower in the BUAL group than in the control group (246.1 ± 21.4 vs 326.1 ± 18.5 mL; P=0.006). There was no difference in operative time between the two groups (52.1 ± 6.1 vs 52.2 ± 6.8, P=0.880)., Conclusion: BUAL during cesarean was found to be an effective method for decreasing blood loss during and after cesarean delivery among women at risk of uterine atony and subsequent PPH. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT03591679., (© 2019 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)