ABSTRACT
Haemorrhage, both antenatal and postnatal, is probably one of the commonest causes for admission to a critical care unit. Additionally, antepartum haemorrhage is responsible for the loss of many pregnancies, as well as for infant mortality/morbidity from premature delivery. The amount of blood loss that can be seen is dependent on the cause of the antepartum haemorrhage. During a bleed from a placenta praevia, careful observation will probably result in a reasonably accurate estimation. Predisposing is acknowledged that many risk factors for both antepartum and postpartum haemorrhage exist, and serve as a trigger for midwives to ensure women give birth in appropriate environments, with skilled help and necessary equipment close at hand. Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy is secondary to other pathologies, causing uncontrolled systemic activation of coagulation alongside widespread clotting that leads to haemorrhage, hypotension, micro-vascular obstruction and necrosis, haemolysis and organ dysfunction.
