ObjectiveTo assess the effectiveness of introducing condom‐catheter uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) for postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) management in low‐ and middle‐income settings.DesignStepped wedge, cluster‐randomised trial.SettingEighteen secondary‐level hospitals in Uganda, Egypt and Senegal.PopulationWomen with vaginal delivery from October 2016 to March 2018.MethodsUse of condom‐catheter UBT for PPH management was introduced using a half‐day training and provision of pre‐packaged UBT kits. Hospitals were randomised to when UBT was introduced. The incident rate (IR) of study outcomes was compared in the control (i.e. before UBT) and intervention (i.e. after UBT) periods. Mixed effects regression models accounted for clustering (random effect) and time period (fixed effect).Main outcome measuresCombined IR of PPH‐related invasive surgery and/or maternal death.ResultsThere were 28 183 and 31 928 deliveries in the control and intervention periods, respectively. UBT was used for 9/1357 and 55/1037 women diagnosed with PPH in control and intervention periods, respectively. PPH‐related surgery or maternal death occurred in 19 women in the control period (IR = 6.7/10 000 deliveries) and 37 in the intervention period (IR = 11.6/10 000 deliveries). The adjusted IR ratio was 4.08 (95% confidence interval 1.07–15.58). Secondary outcomes, including rates of transfer and blood transfusion, were similar in the trial periods.ConclusionsIntroduction of condom‐catheter UBT in these settings did not improve maternal outcomes and was associated with an increase in the combined incidence of PPH‐related surgery and maternal death. The lack of demonstrated benefit of UBT introduction with respect to severe outcomes warrants reflection on its role.Tweetable abstractStepped wedge trial shows UBT introduction does not reduce the combined incidence of PPH‐related surgery or death.

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We report 2 cases of Ebola viral disease (EVD) in pregnant women who survived, initially with intact pregnancies. Respectively 31–32 days after negativation of the maternal blood EVD-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) both patients delivered a stillborn fetus with persistent EVD-PCR amniotic fluid positivity.

BackgroundSexual violence has been prevalent throughout the armed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Research on sexual violence-related pregnancies (SVRPs) and pregnancy termination in eastern DRC, a context with high prevalence of sexual violence, high maternal mortality, and restrictive abortion laws, is scant but crucial to improving the overall health of women in the DRC. Understanding women’s perceptions and experiences related to an SVRP, and in particular to pregnancy termination in this context, is critical for developing effective, targeted programming.MethodsRespondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to recruit two subgroups of women reporting SVRPs, 1) women raising a child from an SVRP (parenting group) and 2) women who had terminated an SVRP (termination group), in Bukavu, DRC in 2012. Semi-structured qualitative interviews on pregnancy history and outcomes were conducted with a systematically selected sub-group of women recruited through RDS methodology. Interview responses were translated, transcribed and uploaded to the qualitative data analysis software Dedoose. Thematic content analysis, complemented by the constant comparative technique from grounded theory, was subsequently used as the analytic approach for data analysis.ResultsFifty-five qualitative interviews (38 parenting group and 17 termination group) were completed. The majority of women in the termination group reported using traditional herbs to terminate the SVRP, which they often obtained on their own or through family, friends and traditional healers; whereas women in the parenting group reported ongoing pregnancies after attempting pregnancy termination with herbal medications. Three women in the termination group reported accessing services in a health center. Almost half of the women in the parenting group cited fear of death from termination as a reason for continuing the pregnancy. Other women in the parenting group contemplated pregnancy termination, but did not know where to access services. Potential legal ramifications and religious beliefs also influenced access to services.ConclusionsWomen in this study had limited access to evidence-based safe abortion care and faced potential consequences from unsafe abortion, including increased morbidity and mortality. Increased access to reproductive health services, particularly safe, evidence-based abortion services, is paramount for women with SVRPs in eastern DRC and other conflict-affected regions.