ABSTRACT
From the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom 19971999, seven deaths were directly due to obstetric haemorrhage (3.3 per million maternities): three cases of placental abruption, three cases of placenta praevia and one case of postpartum haemorrhage. Haemorrhage becomes life threatening when blood loss exceeds 40% of the blood volume.
