Dear Editor
Arterial cannulation is a frequent practice that comes with its own set of risks and complications. We would like to report an incident that occurred in an obstetric HDU involving bleeding from an arterial catheter that could have led to severe complications.
A radial arterial cannula was inserted due to development of postpartum haemorrhage, cardiovascular instability and the need for massive blood transfusion. While the patient was monitored in HDU, an emergency call went out alerting the team about an arterial bleed possibly due to the patient’s positioning. The midwife present in the room applied manual pressure to the bleeding site with gauze. The anaesthetist on call asked what happened while taking over the manual pressure and explained to the patient that the insertion site needed to be inspected.