REBOA in Life-threatening Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) in Uganda

Background Maternal mortality rates in many low-income countries (LMICs) remain high. The most prominent cause is bleeding after birth, called postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). In a recent report from Uganda, bleeding is the cause of 42% of all maternal deaths in Uganda. Large parts of the monitoring of mothers during active management of third stage of labour is aiming to prevent and early detect PPH and take relevant actions. In spite of this and sometimes in referring mothers to tertiary hospitals, mothers will end up in a challenging condition where quick action is needed. A new method has proven successful for such instances, the Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA). This is a procedure commonly used for trauma of the lower part of the body but rarely used for PPH. A balloon catheter is inserted via the femoral artery in the groin into the aorta and then being inflated. This will prevent blood from passing to the lower part of the body, including the uterus. It will stop the bleeding and allow for the obstetrician to take relevant action. This is a safe procedure for up to 1 hour of balloon occlusion time including repeated short balloon deflations. Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) in life-threatening postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in reducing adverse maternal outcome compared to standard of care in Uganda. Study design, setting and population A phase IIb/III, open label, 1:1 randomized clinical trial will be conducted at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) in life-threatening postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in reducing adverse maternal outcome compared to standard of care. The inclusion criteria are: a) women with life-threatening PPH and a systolic blood pressure equal to or less than 80 mmHg, b) written consent. The exclusion criterion is prior cardiac arrest or intra-abdominal pregnancy. The sample size of the trial will be 212 participants. Enrolment will follow a group sequential design approach with two interim analyses at 50% and 85% of the total sample size, and a final analysis with full sample size. Utility of the study It is crucial to explore alternative modalities that could prevent adverse maternal outcomes in life-threatening postpartum haemorrhage in Uganda and the rest of the world.