Acute Puerperal Inversion of the Uterus in Punjab - Case Reports

The main cause of acute puerperal inversion is mismanagement of third stage of labour. Only immediate diagnosis and treatment can decrease mortality. Since majority of Indians live in resource poor settings where traditional birth attendants (TBAs) provide basic obstetrics care. Mismanagement of third stage of labour in such settings may not be unusual with the attendant complications.

This study reports three cases of acute uterine inversion managed at a tertiary care centre. Their labour was managed by TBAs and a nurse; one died while the others were successfully managed. Hence, prevalence of uterine inversion may not be rare in resource poor areas of India. Therefore, there is an urgent need for re-training of TBA's and primary health care nurses, in the act of labour management so as to prevent uterine inversion and other life threatening complications.