EJMS

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the role of umbilical vein injection of oxytocin compared to saline in the treatment of retained placenta. Setting: Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Benha University Hospital. Design: A Double-blind Randomized Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial Materials and methods: Retained placenta was reported in 69 cases out of 5858 vaginal deliveries (1.2 %). Sixty women fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in this study and scheduled randomly into two equal groups. Study (Oxytocin) group (n=30) received intraumbilical vein injection of 20 I.U. Oxytocin diluted in 20 ml normal saline and placebo-control group received intraumbilical vein injection of 20 ml normal saline. Results: There were higher rate of spontaneous expulsion of the retained placenta (46.7% vs. 13.3%; p=0.0087), less need for manual removal of the placenta (53.3%) vs. 86.7%; p=0.0087), less blood loss after intraumbilical vein injection in both groups (200± 26.45mL vs. 200± 26.45mL respectively; p < 0.0001), less need of blood transfusion, shorter injection to expulsion interval, higher hemoglobin level 24 – 48 hours later in favor of oxytocin group compared to Saline group (10.06 ± 0.94 gm/dl vs. 9.63 ± 0.44 gm/dl; p = 0.0270 respectively) and the differences were statistically significant. However, the difference between both groups was not significant regarding the duration of 1st & 2nd stages of labor and the number of women took oxytocin in the 1st stage of labor and the type of vaginal delivery, the occurrence of infection, average blood loss during labor and the duration of hospital stay. Conclusion: The intraumbilical vein injection of oxytocin is a simple, easy, less invasive and effective choice for treatment of retained placenta.