A healthy 26-year-old woman was noted to have residual uterine inversion after manual replacement of puerperal uterine inversion under general anaesthesia. This was corrected by the insertion of a balloon tamponade device. A cervical suture was applied to prevent ballooning of the device through the cervix. This little modification was immediately successful in preventing ballooning of the tamponade device. The whole idea was to overcome the need for a laparotomy. A review of the literature and the mechanism of action are discussed here.

Uterine balloon tamponade has rapidly gained popularity in the management of postpartum haemorrhage. It is a conservative method often utilised before embarking on advanced surgical interventions. The mechanism of action, complications and long-term outcomes are discussed.

(Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2015;55(4):315–317) Uterine atony is the leading cause of postpartum hemorrhage, which is the sixth most common cause of maternal death in the United Kingdom. There are many methods for managing postpartum hemorrhage, but if conservative treatment does not work, surgical intervention should be used before the situation becomes severe. Uterine balloon tamponade (UBT), introduced in 1991, is one of the most popular early surgical interventions, due to its relative simplicity and ease of use.