Efficacy of oxytocin versus carbetocin in prevention of postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean section under general anesthesia: a prospective randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective: To compare the use of carbetocin and oxytocin in the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean section.

Methods: The present study was a prospective double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial performed in two university-based hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Two hundred and twenty women with the gestational age of more than 37 weeks, who needed cesarean operation, participated in the study. Patients were assigned to receive either a single 100 μg IV dose of carbetocin or a standard 30-international unit IV infusion of oxytocin during 2 h after delivery of placenta. The primary outcome measures were postpartum hemorrhage requiring additional uterotonic drugs, bleeding volume, and the hemoglobin drops.

Results: There were meaningful differences in carbetocin versus oxytocin group regarding the hemoglobin drops (1.01 versus 2.05, p = .01), bleeding volume (430.68 CC versus 552.6 CC, p < .001), uterine massages frequency (3.7 versus 4.26, p < .001), and uterine height at 2, 4, and 24 h (p < .001). Oxytocin side effects were significantly higher in comparison with the carbetocin except pruritus which was observed in 27% of patients in the carbetocin versus no cases in the oxytocin group.

Conclusions: It may be concluded that carbetocin is a good alternative modality to conventional uterotonic agents such as oxytocin for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean sections.

Registration ID in IRCT: NCT02079558

Keywords:

• Carbetocin
• hemorrhage
• Iran
• oxytocin
• postpartum

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflict of interest with the subject matter of the present study.