[Effect of some drugs on physiological icterus in the newborn]

The Authors have correlated neonatal jaundice with the administration of oxytocin and prifinium bromide to the mother either alone or in association during labour. The percentage of neonatal jaundice in women treated with ritodrine hydrochloride during the second and third trimester of pregnancy was also calculated. A total of 1.101 deliveries were taken into consideration between January 1984 and June 1986. Thirty-three patients were treated with oxytocin alone; 444 patients with oxytocin and prifinium bromide; 81 patients with ritodrine hydrochloride during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and 192 patients were untreated. This study indicates that all drugs may contribute to producing neonatal jaundice, as shown in the graphs, and drugs during labour should be used with extreme caution and be limited in quantity and period.