Maintenance Infusion of Oxytocin Following Elective Cesarean Deliveries

• Status: Recruiting
• Trial end date: 2021-12-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Female

Summary

This study is designed to determine the minimal effective oxytocin maintenance dose required during cesarean delivery to achieve the best effect. Oxytocin is a drug which is routinely used to help contract the uterus and keep it contracted after the delivery of the baby and placenta. The aim of oxytocin is to reduce the amount of blood that might be lost. In order to determine the minimal effective dose, the investigators will conduct a dose-finding study. The first patient will receive a set oxytocin infusion. If the uterus contracts well, this is considered satisfactory and the next patient will receive the same dose. If the uterus does not contract well, this is considered unsatisfactory and the next patient will receive a higher dose. The dose for the next patient will be determined based on the results of the uterine contraction of the previous patient.

The investigators hypothesize that the ED90 of an oxytocin infusion rate to maintain a satisfactory uterine tone during a cesarean delivery in non-laboring women, would be lower than that found in previous studies without an initial bolus (less than 16 IU/h).

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

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital
• Treatments: Oxytocin

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Elective uncomplicated cesarean delivery under neuraxial anesthesia

• >18 year-old with ASA status II or III, with a singleton gestation and a gestational age between 37 to 42 weeks Informed consent to participate in this study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Refusal to give written informed consent

• Allergy or hypersensitivity to oxytocin

• Body mass index ≥ 40 kg/m2on the day of admission

• A history of hypertension and/ or severe cardiac disease(s)

• Contra-indications for neuraxial anesthesia

• Conditions that predispose to uterine atony and postpartum hemorrhage such as placenta previa, multiple gestation, preeclampsia, macrosomia (≥ 4 kg), polyhydramnios, uterine fibroids in and near operating field, previous history of uterine atony and postpartum bleeding, or bleeding diathesis.