Carbetocin Versus Oxytocin Plus Sublingual Misoprostol in the Management of Atonic Postpartum Hemorrhage

Carbetocin Versus Oxytocin Plus Sublingual Misoprostol in the Management of Atonic Post-partum Hemorrhage (PPH) After Vaginal Delivery: a Randomized Controlled Trial

The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness and safety of carbetocin vs. oxytocin plus sublingual misoprostol in the management of atonic postpartum hemorrhage (PPH)after vaginal delivery.

The first cause of hemorrhage at the time of delivery is uterine atony; therefore, there is general agreement that active management of the third stage of labor is recommended.

Oxytocin is the most widely used uterotonic agent but has a half-life of only 4-10 min, that is why it is better administered as a continuous intravenous infusion to achieve sustained uterotonic activity. Carbetocin is a synthetic long-acting oxytocin agonistic analog with prolonged half-life prolonging its pharmacological effects. Its prolonged uterine activity may theoretically offer advantages over oxytocin in the management of the third stage of labor. The side-effect profile of carbetocin was not found to be different from that of Oxytocin but may prove to be advantageous when compared to Syntometrine.

Inclusion Criteria:

• All participants had PPH defined as vaginal bleeding>500 ml after vaginal delivery and uterine atony confirmed by abdominal palpation

Exclusion Criteria:

• gestational age<37 weeks,
• genital tract trauma,
• coagulation defect,
• women with hypertension, preeclampsia, cardiac, renal or liver diseases, epilepsy
• known hypersensitivity to carbetocin or oxytocin.