Prospective study of intramuscular ergometrine compared with intramuscular oxytocin for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage

AIM: To compare the efficacy and safety of intramuscular oxytocin with intramuscular ergometrine in the management of postpartum hemorrhage during the third stage of labor. METHODS: Women who had been pregnant for more than 35 weeks and delivered cephalic singletons vaginally without predelivery administration of oxytocics were included. The cases considered to be at high risk were excluded, such as those who had uterine fibroids, a previous cesarean section, previous postpartum hemorrhage, or severe anemia. Five units of oxytocin or 0.2 mg of methylergometrine were administered intramuscularly immediately after delivery of the baby. RESULTS: Compared with intramuscular ergometrine, the use of intramuscular oxytocin was associated with a significant reduction in mean total postpartum blood loss (288.16 g vs 354.42 g, P = 0.004), frequency of postpartum hemorrhage (> or=500 mL: 10.9% vs 20.32%, relative risk [RR] = 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.32-0.91), and need for therapeutic oxytocics (5.13% vs 12.3%, RR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.19-0.91). There were no differences between the groups in terms of the mean duration of the third stage, the mean level of hemoglobin on the second postpartum day, and the frequency of postpartum hemorrhage (> or =1000 mL), or manual removal of placenta. Few side-effects were found, with no significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The routine use of intramuscular oxytocin is more effective than the use of intramuscular ergometrine for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage in the third stage of labor.