Active pharmacologic management of the third stage of labor. A comparison of oxytocin and ergometrine.

Postpartum hemorrhage is a common and serious complication of the third stage of labor resulting in anemia and increased morbidity in the puerperium. Administration of uterotonic drugs and suitable mechanical assistance in delivery of the placenta may significantly reduce this hazard. Ergometrine and oxytocin have been used for a long time in markedly different doses and by various routes of administration with varying success. In order to compare these two oxytocics with regard to their hemostatic effects as well as their possible interference with the physiologic placental separation mechanism, three groups (ergometrine, oxytocin, and control) of women have been studied during a 2-year period. Ergometrine (0.2 mg) and oxytocin (10 IU) administered in the stated doses and as single intravenous injections are comparable with regard to hemostatic efficiency, but oxytocin seems to promote placental separation and expulsion better and thereby reduces the risk of partial retention and trapping with bleeding reguiring further emergency measures as a frequent consequence.