Gamanit – 1.5% is not second to nill, its a risk that is there and happens to some people, besides this is just postpartum hemorrhage there are a few other conditions that can cause life threatening hemorrhaging such as abruptios which can be life threatening.
There are a few grades of abruption with some being true life threatening emergencies, I am aware of several cases in which the patients life was saved with not much time to spare, these patients needed aggressive volume resuscitation and blood transfusions and of course life saving surgical intervention. I admit that this is not the every day occurrence but its there. Sometimes these can be treated without surgical intervention such as with medication like Pitocin which is even given prophylactically.
I am not familiar with the details of this case other than what was posted here and hearing of it this case at the time.
2scents- of this 1.5%, 99% is already in the hospital. 1% of 1.5% is pretty close to nothing. As a first responder you still have to take every precaution that this isn’t the case with your current patient even though it’s unlikely. Yes, abruption can be life threatening. I’m not disputing that. I still think that the story as it was told here isn’t very plausible. Do you remember how it was discussed at the time when it occurred? Sometimes a story has a kernel of truth in it to make it sound more believable even though as a whole it’s false.