Carbetocin at Elective Cesarean Delivery Part 4

PostPartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal death worldwide. Oxytocin is the most commonly used uterotonic drug to prevent and treat PPH in North America. However oxytocin has a very short duration of action, requiring a continuous infusion to achieve sustained uterotonic activity. Moreover large doses are associated with adverse effects like hypotension, nausea, vomiting, dysrhythmias and ST changes. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) has recommended a single dose of 100 mcg of carbetocin at elective cesarean delivery to promote uterine contraction. In three studies recently performed at Mount Sinai Hospital, the investigators have found no difference in uterine contractility between the doses of 20- 120 mcg carbetocin and that the ED90 is 14.8 mcg. Thus a larger trial comparing the minimum effective dose determined in the previous three trials with the standard 100 mcg dose is necessary to confirm these findings.