The CG balloon is an innovative condom balloon tamponade for the management of postpartum hemorrhage in low-resource settings.

The global rate of maternal mortality is 260/100,000 live births, and approximately 500,000 mothers are lost annually as a result of pregnancy-related issues1. Rates of death are disproportionately high in developing countries, where maternal mortality as high as 920/100,000 live births has been recorded in sub-Saharan Africa2. Overall, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) affects 1–5% of all deliveries3,4, and approximately 30% of maternal deaths are due to hemorrhage, mainly in the postpartum period. Most maternal deaths due to PPH occur in developing countries in settings (both hospital and community) where there are no birth attendants or where birth attendants lack the necessary skills or equipment to prevent and manage PPH and shock5. Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that almost 99% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries6, and 45% of postpartum deaths occur within 1 day of delivery7. The Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal mortality by 75% by 20158 will remain beyond our reach unless governments act in partnership with the obstetric community to confront the problem of PPH in the developing world as a priority. Of deaths due to PPH, 90% occur in women who have none of the so-called classic risk factors, although some conditions do predispose to PPH. It is a preventable cause of death, as evidenced by the decline in hemorrhage-related mortality in the developed world. The maternal mortality rate (MMR) is 35-times lower in the developed world compared with that in developing countries (14 versus 400/100,000 live births)2.