Oral Misoprostol Versus Intravenous Oxytocin in Preventing Blood Loss After Non-scheduled Cesarean Section

April 2, 2019 updated by: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Oral Misoprostol as a Second-line Alternative to Intravenous Oxytocin in Preventing Postoperative Blood Loss After Non-scheduled Cesarean Section: a Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) ranks among the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality, both in developed and developing countries.

With this trial, we sought to determine the effectiveness of oral misoprostol as an uterotonic drug in comparison with intravenous oxytocin, in patients with a low risk of PPH undergoing non-scheduled Cesarean section.

We therefore compared the intra- and postoperative blood loss, as well as drug related side effects in patients, treated by the same surgical and anesthesiological team in one institution.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is still among the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. The incidence of PPH is reduced by active management of the third stage of labor which includes the use of uterotonics for pharmacological prophylaxis. However, there is an on-going debate about the optimal drug selection since uterotonics such as oxytocin and methylergometrine are liable for specific side effects and complications when administered within a dose range needed to be effective for PPH. In the search for an alternative to these conventional standard uterotonics, misoprostol (prostaglandin E1) has turned out to be an effective therapeutic option and has been implemented in actual treatment regimens. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of oral applicated misoprostol versus intravenous oxytocin in reducing blood loss in low risk obstetric patients undergoing non-scheduled cesarean section (CS) under spinal anesthesia.

Comparison:

In this prospective, double blind study, parturients undergoing CS were randomized to receive either a) oral misoprostol and an infusion of normal saline supplemented with placebo, or b) an oral placebo and an infusion of normal saline, supplemented with oxytocin subsequently to intravenous oxytocin after cord clamping in both groups.

The primary outcomes were the amount of intra- and postoperative blood loss and the occurrence of drug-related side effects.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

56

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Switzerland
      • Basel, Switzerland, 4031
        • Women's University Hospital, Basel

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Non-scheduled primary or secondary Cesarean section (CS) after the 37th week of gestation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Emergency CS
  • Fetal distress
  • Fetal malformations
  • Preeclampsia and HELLP (Hemolysis-Elevated Liver enzymes-Low Platelet count syndrome)
  • Hypersensitivity to prostaglandins
  • Coagulopathy
  • Severe systemic disorders
  • An American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status >/= 3
  • Severe asthma
  • Prior myomectomy
  • Maternal fever (> 38.5 °C)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Reduction of postpartum hemorrhage

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Blood loss
medicamentous side effects
efficacy of medicaments

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Irène Hösli, Prof. Dr. MD, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 1999

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 1, 2002

Study Completion (Actual)

February 1, 2002

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 11, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 11, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

April 12, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 4, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 2, 2019

Last Verified

April 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • M73/99

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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