Prophylactic interventional radiological procedures in postpartum hemorrhage: The present scenario

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity. Women undergoing cesarean delivery are at increased risk of PPH as compared to vaginal delivery. Improvement in obstetric care and advances in diagnostic modalities have empowered obstetricians to detect, predict, and therefore prevent catastrophic uterine bleeding. Patients at increased risk for PPH should be referred to tertiary care centers equipped with interventional radiology suite, where multidisciplinary teams are available 24 h and are prepared to deal with potential complications. This review highlights the management of PPH with special emphasis on interventional radiology procedures for the prevention of PPH. Minimally invasive interventional radiological techniques such as selective arterial embolization and arterial balloon occlusion have been effectively used to avert hysterectomy and reduce the overall incidence of blood transfusion and its associated complications while preserving reproductive functions.