[Consumption coagulopathies and severe postpartum hemorrhage].

15 patients were referred to the Intensive Care Unit immediately after delivery for severe post-partum haemorrhage. In 7 cases complications followed retroplacental haemotoma formation and in the other 8 cases they were due to secondary haemorrhages from the placental site and/or from tears of the cervix or vagina. It is a clinical picture that is associated with a state of shock, with continuing massive bleeding associated with failure of the blood to clot and which persists and becomes worse with the transfusion of stored blood and of the coagulation factors. In all these cases severe coagulation pathology due to consumption defects is revealed. We must point out that tears of the cervix and vagina which have been neglected and failure to compensate for the original blood loss are among the aetiological factors. Treatment with Heparin giving a dose of 1 to 3 mg per kg of body weight per 24 hours and controlled by a strict biological check together with symptomatic resuscitation from the state of shock and from the coagulation factors is successful (9 cases) if it is undertaken early on. A fatal outcome, whether it is due to a persistent state of shock (1 case) or to visceral complications of diffuse intravascular coagulation (C.I.V.D.) (5 cases) can be found where treatment is delayed and when insufficient blood is replaced and when antifibrinolytics are prescribed. A preventive therapeutic plan as well as a curative one can be drawn up for these cases of obstetrical drama.