Double-balloon tamponade used to control postpartum hemorrhage due to placenta previa and/or placenta accreta

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the success rate of double-balloon tamponade for managing postpartum hemorrhage originating from the lower segment of the uterus. Materials and Methods: A total of 112 patients underwent an elective cesarean section for placenta previa and/or placenta accreta in Hebei Genaral Hospital from January 2012 to December 2016. The double-balloon tamponade was applied when the standard medical treatment could not control the postpartum hemorrhage originating from the lower uterine segment and blood loss exceeded 1000 mL. Results: A total of 39 patients (34.8%) required the double-balloon tamponade to manage the postpartum bleeding from the lower uterine segment. The mean bleeding during the operation was 1983.9 ± 512.2 mL in the patients who used the double-balloon tamponade. The overall success rate of the double-balloon tamponade in this study was 97.4% (38/39), and no case of hysterectomy was reported. Conclusion: The double-balloon tamponade is a safe, effective, easy, and practical technique. It can successfully control severe postpartum hemorrhage from the lower uterine segment due to placenta previa and/or placenta accreta.