Publication:

Active management of third stage of labour: a comparative study of intra-umbilical oxytocin versus intramuscular oxytocin

Background Postpartum haemorrhage is a single major and leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, not only in the developing countries but also in developed countries. Every 4 minutes one woman dies from pregnancy or child birth related complications. The present study is to compare oxytocin used via intra-umbilical or intramuscular route in the active management of third stage of labour with respect to duration and amount of bleeding.

Methods Four hundred pregnant women at term of a singleton pregnancy with spontaneous onset of labour were included in the study and were randomly divided into 2 groups of 200 women each. Group 1, intra-umbilical oxytocin 10U diluted in 10ml of saline, and Group 2, intramuscular oxytocin 10U were given after the delivery of baby.

Results The outcome criteria with respect to third stage of labour were: duration of the 3rd stage of labour, blood loss by volume, difference in haemoglobin. A significant reduction in duration of third stage (p = 0.001) and blood loss in third stage (p =0.0001) in intra-umbilical oxytocin group was found when compared with intramuscular oxytocin use.

Conclusions Intra-umbilical oxytocin is better alternative to intramuscular oxytocin in active management of third stage of labour.