In Vitro Myometrial Contractions in Laboring and Non-laboring Women

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2012-08-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Female

Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare the ability of an isolated sample of uterine muscle tissue (in a tissue bath) to contract in the presence of various drugs. The drugs studied--uterotonics--are typically used to contract the uterus when a pregnant patient continues to bleed after delivery. Amongst common uterotonic drugs, namely oxytocin, ergonovine, prostaglandin F2alpha, and misoprostol, the most effective one to use is unknown.

The investigators will be testing isolated uterine muscle samples to increasing concentrations of these four drugs in three patient populations: non-laboring, laboring without exogenous oxytocin augmentation, and laboring with oxytocin augmentation. Contractile measures will be measured and compared between all groups. The investigators hypothesize that oxytocin alone will have a weaker uterotonic effect in oxytocin-augmented laboring patients, and all four drugs will induce different patterns of contractions.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital
• Collaborators: Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society; University of Toronto
• Treatments: Alprostadil; Dinoprost; Dinoprost tromethamine; Ergonovine; Misoprostol; Oxytocin

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Gestational age 37-41 weeks

• Patients requiring primary or first repeat Cesarean section

• Cesarean section under spinal anesthesia

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who require general anesthesia

• Patient who had previous myometrial surgery or more than one previous Cesarean section

• Patients with placental anomalies

• Patients with multiple pregnancy (twins, etc.)