Compare the Mean Blood Loss of Sublingual Misoprostol vs Intravenous Oxytocin for Management of 3rd Stage of Labor

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the mean blood loss when using sublingual misoprostol vs intravenous oxytocin for managing the 3rd stage of labor.

Methodology: This comparative randomized controlled trial took place at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi, from August 2022 to February 2023. Sixty (n=60) women with singleton pregnancies and cephalic presentations, aged 18 to 40 years, were included. The patients were randomly divided into two equal groups (each, n=30). In the Group A, patients were given sublingual misoprostol tablets 200?g each. However, in the Group B patients, 10 IU of intravenous oxytocin was given after delivery of the baby. Following all deliveries in both groups, blood loss was measured. The comparison of mean blood loss between both groups was analyzed using an independent t test, with a p ? 0.05 for determining significance.

Results: The mean age of women was 29.2±6.1 years. The majority patients, 58.3%, were aged between 20 and 30 years. The mean gestational age among women was 39.0±1.5 weeks. The mean postpartum blood loss was 119.0±20.3 ml in Group A (sublingual misoprostol) and 154.1±15.2 ml in Group B (intravenous oxytocin) (p = 0.0001).

Conclusion: Sublingual misoprostol results in lower mean postpartum blood loss compared to intravenous oxytocin for management of the 3rd stage of labor.