Hypofibrinogenaemia and risk of post partum haemorrhage
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of the association between fibrinogen level on admission to Labour Ward and peripartum blood loss
IRAS ID
140283
Contact name
Ramesh Ganapathy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
Research summary
Excessive bleeding is a common problem after childbirth. If women lose too much blood they can become very unwell and in the most severe cases persistent bleeding can lead to death. Indeed ’post partum haemorrhage’ is a leading cause of harm to mothers worldwide. Long term problems encountered by women who lose a large amount of blood include organ damage (because of lack of blood supply), inability to have children in the future (if the womb had to be removed to stop the bleeding) and psychological problems.
There is a substance in the bloodstream called ’fibrinogen’ which has an important role in helping blood to clot. It is known that women whose blood does not clot so well are more likely to bleed excessively during childbirth. As haemorrhage happens, substances in the blood which help it to clot are lost. It has already been shown that a lower fibrinogen level during bleeding makes bleeding worse. It has been shown in other fields of medicine, in particular in trauma, that if someone has a low level of fibrinogen they are more likely to bleed.
The aim of this study is to demonstrate a link between the level of fibrinogen before childbirth and the amount of bleeding. If a link is found then doctors and midwives could identify women at risk of bleeding before they go into labour and possibly implement strategies to reduce this risk.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/WM/0472
Date of REC Opinion
30 Dec 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion