Saving the Mother, "NO MOTHER WILL DIE FROM PPH"

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is a revolutionary invention to prevent the death of mothers due to uncontrollable bleeding during delivery
The number of women and girls who died each year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth declined from 523,000 in 1990 to 289,000 in 2013. These improvements are particularly remarkable in the light of rapid population growth in many of the countries where maternal deaths are the highest.

Still, about 800 women are dying each day from complications in pregnancy and childbirth. And for every woman who dies, approximately 20 others suffer serious injuries, infections or disabilities.
Almost all maternal deaths (99 per cent) occur in developing countries. Two regions, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, account for 86 per cent of maternal deaths worldwide. Sub-Saharan Africans suffer from the highest maternal mortality ratio - 510 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, or 179,000 maternal deaths a year. This is nearly two thirds (62 per cent) of all maternal deaths per year worldwide.
South Asia follows, with a maternal mortality ratio of 190, or 68,000 maternal deaths a year, accounting for 24 per cent of the global total. That said, regional and global averages tend to mask large disparities both within and among countries.
In India the death due to bleeding is predominantly recorded in the northern and northeastern parts of India due to the non-proximity of hospitals during the delivery. The delivery is attended by the local midwife who has only crude and non-professional practical knowledge of the process.
Death due to bleeding (PPH) is the single major cause. There are many reasons for this dangerous bleeding. The most important and difficult form of bleeding after delivery is due to atonic PPH.
During atonic PPH, the uterus will not contract and remains soft. There are many treatment strategies for this. In spite of all these treatments some women will die helplessly in front of the doctor due to massive bleeding.
Thanks to my experience and exposure to thousands of deliveries during my career, I have been able to invent a new treatment to prevent and stop bleeding from the uterus after delivery or abortion. I have also designed a quick surgical technique to stop the bleeding from the uterus in emergency situations when other methods fail.

The method is to use a specially-made suction cannula that is introduced into the uterine cavity. A negative suction pressure of 600mm of mercury is applied for 30 minutes. This will stop all the bleeding mechanically pressing the bleeding vessels and closing them due to the force of suction. Because of the strong suction inside the uterine cavity the uterus cannot expand and will not become atonic. This principle is the same as medical practitioners do routinely whenever there is an injury and bleeding. They press the area of injury to stop the bleeding. The pressure is maintained for 10 to 15 minutes so that clotting occurs in the bleeding vessels and bleeding is stopped permanently. 
The same principle is used here, as we cannot apply pressure inside the uterine cavity. But we can produce a negative pressure to get a strong pressing effect on the inner wall of the uterus.
The main attraction of the technique is that all the equipment used are locally designed and manufactured at a very nominal cost; any local midwife can be given training in using the equipment at any place within a short time. These can be used in the remotest villages as electricity is not required for its functioning.
I have also invented another medical and surgical treatment to stop PPH. This is by injecting dilute vasopressin into the uterine muscle. This will contract all the vessels of the uterus and stop bleeding. The surgical technique is by a special stitch that can stop all the blood supply to the uterus and save the mother. All these treatment methods can prevent the death of the mother due to bleeding by 100%, if the mother is brought to the hospital with a beating heart.
I will be presenting this treatment technique at the World Congress of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2015 at Canada on 5th October, 2015.
The author  is Dr  Vasudeva Panicker, who runs a  maternity hospital at West Nada, Kodungaloor