Syed Muhammad Shaq-ur rehman, Saima Hamid, Ramesh Kumar, Maryam Batool.
Reasons of blood transfusion in women delivered through cesarean section in a tertiary care hospital of Pakistan.
Pak J Public Health Jan ;5(3):47-50.

Background: The Blood Transfusion System in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) is not able to meet the demands of the people and needs strengthening. Availability of blood and blood products is also not equitable across the State. All the facilities lack the donor database. There are total 10 public sector blood banks in AJK and the legal framework is in place since 2003. Cesarean section (CS) is considered a common cause of blood transfusion and many CSs are postponed due to non-availability of blood. Methods: A facility based descriptive study in tertiary care hospital Rawalakot AJK has been conducted to determine the proportion of women who received red blood cell transfusion, their demographic and obstetric characteristics and experience of blood transfusion while having undergone CS. 887 patients had undergone CS from September 2013 to August 2014. Results: Out of 887, only 73(8.3%) patients received blood transfusion for various reasons. Twenty ve (34.2%) patients had history of CS in the past and 13 (17.8%) patients presented with obstructed labor; 7 (9.6%) with abnormal presentation, 6 with placenta previa, 6 with pre-eclampsia, 2 with post partum hemorrhage and 14 (19.2%) patients with fetal concerns were transfused. In addition 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 patients to understand their perspectives with respect to blood transfusion. The patients were not properly informed of the reasons for transfusion and had poor knowledge about the need for transfusion. Conclusion: It is concluded from current study that main reason for blood transfusion was previous caesarean section. However, an obstructed labor and fetal concerns have also been reported as causes of blood transfusion. It also shows that patients are not properly prepared by the blood transfusion by the healthcare providers. Key Words: Blood Transfusion, Caesarean section, Blood loss and hospital Delivery.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com