Prophylactic application of Bakri balloon tamponade versus uterine gauze packing during cesarean section in patients with placenta previa

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to compare the effectiveness of routine Bakri balloon tamponade (BBT) and uterine gauze packing (UGP) during cesarean section in patients with placenta previa. METHODS: This study involved women with placenta previa who underwent cesarean section with either prophylactic BBT (n = 98) or UGP (n = 64) from January 2016 to December 2018. The clinical variables and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The estimated intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the BBT than UGP group (667 ± 358 vs. 791 ± 360 ml, respectively). Additionally, the proportion of patients who required transfusion was significantly lower in the BBT than UGP group (9/98 vs. 17/64, respectively). The operative duration (97.8 ± 17.7 vs. 108.2 ± 16.9 minutes) and the length of stay (3.79 ± 0.89 vs. 4.12 ± 0.85 days) were significantly shorter in the BBT than UGP group. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with placenta previa who undergo cesarean section, preventive application of BBT is superior to UGP for decreasing the intraoperative blood loss and transfusion rate. BBT is a more reliable technique to prevent and control postpartum hemorrhage.