the Blood Collection Drape
The blood drape is a funnel-shaped, plastic, bag-like device used to measure blood loss after delivery. The upper part of the drape is a rectangular portion that goes under the woman’s buttocks. The funnel-shaped/triangular portion will hang from the end of the delivery table or will be placed flat on the floor, depending on whether the woman is on a table or on the floor.
The blood drape is tied around the woman at the waist and at the hips just after the child birth. Tying the drape properly is important because it ensures that the blood is being collected within the funnel-shaped, bag-like portion.
The bag has 2 levels marked on it, 1) a yellow line showing 350 ml, which indicates a “warning line” indicating that the transport system should be activated, and 2) a red “action line” showing 500 ml, which means excessive blood has been lost (postpartum hemorrhage) and the woman should be transported immediately. After the blood collection drape is tied to the woman, the birth attendant monitor for two hours as the usual standard of care.
If it is found that the amount of blood loss is more than warning line, the woman needs to be transferred to a higher-level facility. It is easy to collect and measure blood loss after child birth with the help of blood collection drape. It is very useful in early recognition of excessive blood loss and the saving the life of a mother.