The effect of placental management at cesarean delivery on operative blood loss.

OBJECTIVES

The effect of alternative methods of placental delivery at cesarean section on blood loss has not been reported. The hypothesis of this study was that spontaneous expulsion of the placenta would reduce operative blood loss, compared with that of manual extraction during cesarean delivery.

STUDY DESIGN

We prospectively randomized and compared outcomes of 62 gravid women with manual (n = 31) or spontaneous (n = 31) placental delivery at cesarean section. Operative blood loss was measured directly.

RESULTS

Blood loss measured at cesarean delivery was greater in the manually delivered group (967 +/- 248 ml) than in the spontaneously delivered group (666 +/- 271 ml, p < 0.0001). The incidence of postpartum endometritis was sevenfold greater in the manual than the spontaneous group (23% vs 3%, respectively; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that spontaneous expulsion of the placenta at cesarean delivery results in less operative blood loss and a lower incidence of postoperative endometritis.