OBJECTIVES To systematically review the efficacy of misoprostol compared with placebo or other uterotonics in preventing maternal morbidity associated with the third stage of labor. METHODS We identified, retrieved, evaluated, abstracted data, and assessed the quality of all published studies (from January 1996 to May 2002) which assessed misoprostol's efficacy in minimizing uterine blood los...

OBJECTIVES To compare oxytocin plus ergometrine against oxytocin alone, when administered as part of the active management of the 3rd stage of labor, in terms of postpartum hemorrhage and manual removal of the placenta. DESIGN A double-blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING A university teaching hospital: Hope Hospital, Salford. PATIENTS All women delivering in the hospital over the ...

BACKGROUND Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) continues to be one of the major causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in obstetrics. Variations in practice often lead to adverse maternity outcomes following PPH. Our objective was to assess the current practice in managing PPH in the UK. METHODS We performed a national multicenter prospective service evaluation study over one calendar month and c...

A 28 year old white woman had an unplanned home birth due to a short second stage of labour. A healthy boy was delivered vaginally with a midwife in attendance. Before delivering the placenta the patient was given 1 ml of intramuscular Syntometrine (ergometrine maleate 500 μg, oxytocin 5 units; Novartis, Surrey, UK). The placenta and membranes were delivered completely with minimal blood loss. ...

A 28 year old white woman had an unplanned home birth due to a short second stage of labour. A healthy boy was delivered vaginally with a midwife in attendance. Before delivering the placenta the patient was given 1 ml of intramuscular Syntometrine (ergometrine maleate 500 μg, oxytocin 5 units; Novartis, Surrey, UK). The placenta and membranes were delivered completely with minimal blood loss. ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the normal ranges of vital signs, including blood pressure (BP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and shock index (SI) (HR/systolic BP), in the immediate postpartum period to inform the development of robust obstetric early warning scores. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort study evaluating vital signs colle...