# Calibrated blood-collection drape

Technology · id `maternal:calibrated-blood-collection-drape` · Maternal & Newborn Atlas · release `15708f235d73cd42` (public)

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Also called: Calibrated drape; Blood-collection drape

Browse, life stage: Childbirth; Postpartum  

## In plain language

A drape used at vaginal birth that collects the blood and carries volume markings, so the amount lost can be measured instead of guessed by eye.

## Technical summary

WHO 2025 Recommendation 21 names calibrated drapes for women having vaginal birth as one way to measure blood loss objectively. The recommendation is for the measurement, not for a drape or a product. WHO says most of the available evidence for vaginal birth comes from a calibrated drape. It also says tray and jar alternatives are not supported by evidence of diagnostic accuracy. E-MOTIVE tested the drape only as one part of a package with a treatment bundle and an implementation strategy, so no effect on health outcomes is credited to the drape alone.

## Connected pages

- Gives an objective blood-loss volume instead of visual estimation: Late detection of postpartum haemorrhage (`maternal:bottleneck-pph-detection`)
- Used to detect postpartum haemorrhage: Postpartum haemorrhage (`maternal:postpartum-hemorrhage`)
- Used by: Objective measurement of postpartum blood loss (`maternal:objective-blood-loss-measurement`)
- Used by: PPH detection and first-response treatment bundle (`maternal:pph-detection-and-first-response-bundle`)

## Provenance

Content hash: ca85531709785be7fd7a83b1444146c99fc2b51957eb58e181ce254b7622704c
Last substantive edit: 2026-10-11
Evidence last checked: 2026-10-11