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