**2.2 Management of postoperative hemorrhage**

Recognized as an uncommon complication of hysterectomy, postoperative hemorrhage represents a true challenge in routine practice [8]; irrespective of the procedure, a close follow-up of the patient in a high-dependency unit is indicated in order to exclude recurrence of bleeding [6, 7].

The key to successful management is timely intervention meaning prompt diagnosis, urgent resuscitation if necessary and rapid decision for either arterial embolization or reoperation according to the severity of bleeding and the hemodynamic stability of the patient. Both techniques are highly effective to control bleeding; nevertheless, if the patient is hemodynamically unstable or of the interval since surgery is under 24 hours suggesting rapid hemorrhage, the emergency return to the operating theater to arrest the bleeding is preferred [6, 7, 9].

Current options for managing hemorrhage include [6, 7, 9]:


A simplified algorithm to describe steps after gynecological surgery and potential post-surgery bleeding is provided in **Figure 1**.

A closer look at the holistic management of postoperative blood should also underpin the following [9]:


#### **Figure 1.**

*A simplified algorithm of post-surgery bleeding approach.*

#### *2.2.1 Reoperation*

In hemodynamically unstable women (rapid pulse, falling blood pressure, with or without renal impairment) or if the bleeding occurs shortly in post-surgery (the socalled reactionary hemorrhage), it is desirable to return to the operating room [5–9].

A preoperative abdominal and pelvic ultrasound or CT scan is routinely required to visualize the source of bleeding as being intra- or retro-peritoneal, as well as adequate local examination without or under anesthesia. Moreover, the operative procedure should be mentally revised to identify any potential bleeding issue [9].

Surgical revision for postoperative bleeding may be performed transvaginally, laparoscopically, or both [5–9, 13, 14].

Postoperative hemorrhage from the vaginal vault recurrently originates from the vaginal artery in the lateral vaginal fornix or from one of its branches, since the lateral vaginal angle which includes the vaginal artery may not be accurately protected or turn into disligated [9, 13, 14]. Excessive vaginal bleeding needs to be objectively measured; since the vagina is a distensible organ, clots obstructing the vaginal introitus may lead to a large amount of blood accumulating and distending the vagina, subsequently covering the true significance of hemorrhage [9, 13, 14]. Vaginal bleeding can be controlled by clamping and ligating the bleeding point as well as by delayed-absorbable transfixion suturing of the vaginal mucosa and paravaginal tissue [9, 13, 14]. If such techniques are not enough or bleeding vessels have retracted, other tactics should be intended [8].

When no noticeable vaginal source, bleeding after abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy is traditionally treated by laparotomy or laparoscopy [7, 9]. While laparotomy is recommended in cases of intraperitoneal bleeding or unsuccessful conservative transvaginal treatment, operative laparoscopy is clearly indicated if the source of bleeding cannot be identified by the means of vaginal examination and/or if an intraabdominal bleeding source is suspected [7, 9, 13].

#### *2.2.2 Laparotomy*

Post-surgery bleeding requires laparotomy in two situations.

*Bleeding after Hysterectomy: Recommendations and What to Expect DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101384*

Firstly, if the surgical hemostasis cannot be achieved transvaginally, laparotomy may be necessary [9].

Secondly, if the patient underwent an abdominal hysterectomy, the incision should be reopened, succeeding the following steps (i) clots and blood evacuation from the abdomen and pelvic area; (ii) searching of the potential bleeding sites, commencing with the most expected places; (iii) ligating, suturing, or clipping of the identified bleeding sites; (iv) verifying the ureteral integrity as high risk of ureteral damage during reoperation; and (v) closing second time after a completely dry abdomen and pelvis [9].

#### *2.2.3 Laparoscopy*

The laparoscopic approach to postoperative bleeding following laparoscopic hysterectomy, vaginal hysterectomy, or laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy is an attractive alternative to the abdominal surgical approach in the majority of patients [6, 7, 9, 13]. The procedure can be used to adequately evaluate the pelvis and the abdominal wall, which is occasionally the source of hemorrhage after laparoscopic hysterectomy. Moreover, whether the bleeding is from the abdominal wall, the surgical pedicles, or the vaginal cuff, it can be managed laparoscopically [8, 9]. Evidently, hemostasis can be more easily obtained in laparoscopic surgery because of magnification, close inspection, routine use of suction irrigation, and bipolar coagulation [7, 9]. Besides, bipolar coagulation, a Foley catheter introduced in the port-site bleeding, or a collagen-fibrin agent can be used to achieve local hemostasis during laparoscopy [7, 9].

Following laparoscopic irrigation/suction using Ringer's solution to clear the operative field, a combination of laparoscopic suturing using absorbable suture material and laparoscopic bipolar coagulation is commonly recommended [6, 8, 9]. Also, electrosurgery is effective in controlling bleeding during laparoscopic surgery. Furthermore, different forms of fibrin adhesive are tested in gynecologic open surgery in order to stop oozing hemorrhages after primary hemostatic treatment with a high efficacy rate (98%) [6]. Holub and Kliment reported successful treatment of hemorrhage from damaged tissue near important pelvic structures using the laparoscope to apply collagen fleece combined with fibrin glue [7, 17].

To avoid further risk of injury to the abdominal wall and to improve the recovery time from surgery, *single incision laparoscopic surgery* is a viable option for the management of hemorrhage, particularly for those patients whose original surgery was accomplished via single incision laparoscopic surgery. Curlin et al. reported a case where single incision laparoscopy was used to manage postoperative hemorrhage after total laparoscopic hysterectomy with right salpingectomy and left salpingooophorectomy [8].

#### **2.3 Arterial embolization**

Conversely, if the patient is reasonably stable and there is not abrupt early bleeding (based on the volume of blood in the abdomen or retroperitoneal space as estimated by ultrasound and the time from surgery), it seems realistic to try to identify the bleeding artery and embolize it by transcatheter interventional radiological techniques [2–4, 9, 10].

Arterial embolization remains an important minimally invasive option for the management of delayed postoperative hemorrhage [2–4, 8, 9, 18]. Transcatheter arterial embolization has been shown to be an effective tool for the management of postoperative hemorrhage after gynecologic laparoscopy, but also after abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy [8, 9]. Selective angiographic arterial

embolization is a quite simple and safe procedure with a clinical success rate up to 90% in routine practice and usually a low complication rate less than 10%, including a mild postembolization syndrome with pain, fever, high leucocyte count related to vascular thrombosis and tissue necrosis [8, 9]. Bladder necrosis, vesicovaginal fistula, neuropathies as well as renal toxicity are uncommon, isolated side effects [9].

Arterial embolization technique comprises the following main steps—(i) identification of the site of bleeding by angiofluoroscopy if more than 2–3 mL/ min bleeding rate; (ii) percutaneous catheterization of the femoral artery or, uncommonly, brachial artery under local anesthesia with retrograde direct access to the hypogastric artery; (iii) canulation of the hypogastric artery or specific collateral vessel if appropriate; (iv) injection of the embolization material under angiographic observation (metal coins, autologous clot, small pieces of gelfoam, small silastic spheres, subcutaneous tissue, or other hemostatic materials; (v) repeat angiography to demonstrate the occlusion of the bleeding vessel; (vi) remove of the catheter followed by careful monitoring for further bleeding [8–10].

Although second surgery is often the initial choice for postoperative hemorrhage, for a patient who is hemodynamically stable but is experiencing postoperative hemorrhage, transcatheter arterial embolization is a welcome alternative to a second surgery [8, 9]. However, if rapid access to interventional radiology is not available or if transcatheter arterial embolization is unsuccessful, laparoscopy can still be considered [8, 9]. Besides, a potential advantage of surgical management of postoperative hemorrhage over transcatheter arterial embolization is the ability to evacuate the hemoperitoneum, which may decrease postoperative pain, the risk of infection, and the risk of ileus [8, 9].
