Intraumbilical vein injection of oxytocin and the third stage of labor: randomized double-blind placebo trial.

The objective of this study was to determine whether intraumbilical injection of oxytocin shortens the third stage of labor. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was used to assess the effectiveness of an intraumbilical injection of oxytocin on the duration of the third stage. Following randomization, each of 79 women received 30 mL of saline ( N = 40) or 20 U of oxytocin in 30 mL of saline ( N = 39). The primary outcome of interest was the effect on the duration of the third stage. Secondary outcomes examined were change in hemoglobin and percentage of undelivered placenta after 15 minutes. There was no difference in the duration of the third stage between the two groups (7.8 +/- 6.1 min in the saline-only group versus 5.9 +/- 2.6 min in the oxytocin group). The change in hemoglobin was significantly lower in the oxytocin group (1.3 +/- 0.9 g/dL in the oxytocin group versus 1.8 +/- 0.9 g/dL in the saline-only group). The percentage of undelivered placentas beyond 15 minutes was significantly lower in the oxytocin group (0% in the oxytocin group versus 12.5% in the saline-only group). The study concluded that intraumbilical vein injection of oxytocin reduced the rate of placentas remaining undelivered beyond 15 minutes and subsequent blood loss.