Excessive genital bleeding at any time after the baby’s birth up to 6 weeks after delivery is characterised as postpartum haemorrhage. A quantitative definition is connected to blood loss in excess of 500 mL following the baby’s birth.
While the quantitative definition is valuable for statistics, the effect of the blood loss is more important than the volume of blood lost. As a result, according to the clinical definition, “any amount of bleeding from or into the genital tract following birth of the baby up to the end of the puerperium, which adversely affects the general condition of the mother, evidenced by rise in pulse rate and falling blood pressure, is called postpartum haemorrhage” (Dutta, 2001).
In low-resource settings, post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) is the leading direct cause of mother death. The NASG is a purpose-built device that can save women’s lives by minimising blood loss and stabilising them until medical care is available.
Many of these deaths may have been avoided if maternal health care management and equipment had been provided on time and effectively.
The Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG) is a low-cost first-aid device that helps to lessen the effects of prolonged PPH. It’s a compression suit based on technologies developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States. Anti-gravity uniforms were designed by NASA to prevent astronauts from blacking out during severe acceleration by squeezing the arms and legs to force blood towards the head. This same technology was utilised to create NASG, which uses external pressure on a woman’s lower body to force blood upward.
The NASG reduces uterine blood flow and treats hypovolemic shock. It can keep woman suffering from PPH alive for up to 48 hours. Without it, she may die within 30 minutes. This buys essential time for a sufferer to be transferred to hospital and treated.
It’s also lightweight, washable, and reusable up to 144 times.
A vast body of research suggests that NASG is beneficial in lowering maternal mortality. It is recommended as a temporary remedy by the World Health Organisation (WHO) until adequate care is available (2012). The NASG is on the WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA interagency list of medical devices for critical interventions in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (2015).
Conclusion:
The non- pneumatic anti-shock garment is a one-of-a-kind, life-saving first-aid equipment composed of neoprene and velcro that is used to treat postpartum hemorrhage in women. Maternal mortality is still quite high around the world, and postpartum hemorrhage is the major cause of maternal mortality. The use of non-pneumatic anti-shock garments for postpartum hemorrhage control was low. Positivity, knowledge, and training on non-pneumatic anti-shock garments were all statistically associated with their use. Health care providers involved in the maternity service should be instructed on how to utilize this critical garment in the management of postpartum hemorrhage.