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Book

Uterine Atony

Prabhcharan Gill  1 , Anjali Patel, James W. Van Hook  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
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Book

Uterine Atony

Prabhcharan Gill et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Uterine atony refers to the corpus uteri myometrial cells inadequate contraction in response to endogenous oxytocin that is released in the course of delivery. It leads to postpartum hemorrhage as delivery of the placenta leaves disrupted spiral arteries which are uniquely void of musculature and dependent on contractions to mechanically squeeze them into a hemostatic state. Uterine atony is a principal cause of postpartum hemorrhage, an obstetric emergency. Globally, this is one of the top 5 causes of maternal mortality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Prabhcharan Gill declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Anjali Patel declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: James Van Hook declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG Practice Bulletin: Clinical Management Guidelines for Obstetrician-Gynecologists Number 76, October 2006: postpartum hemorrhage. Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Oct;108(4):1039-47. - PubMed
    1. Blitz MJ, Yukhayev A, Pachtman SL, Reisner J, Moses D, Sison CP, Greenberg M, Rochelson B. Twin pregnancy and risk of postpartum hemorrhage. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2020 Nov;33(22):3740-3745. - PubMed
    1. Abraham C. Bakri balloon placement in the successful management of postpartum hemorrhage in a bicornuate uterus: A case report. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2017;31:218-220. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Songthamwat S, Songthamwat M. Uterine flexion suture: modified B-Lynch uterine compression suture for the treatment of uterine atony during cesarean section. Int J Womens Health. 2018;10:487-492. - PMC - PubMed

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