Blood loss after caesarean section: depending on the management of oxytocin application?

Oxytocin donation in caesarean section is used to reduce postpartum blood loss. Cardiovascular side effects such as tachycardia, hypotension and decreased cardiac output are known and seem to depend on the way of application, whereas the blood loss is said to be similar. We aimed to examine that extent of haemorrhage in our own patients.

In July 2011, the perioperative oxytocin management was changed and the postpartum was oxytocin bolus abolished. Retrospectively, we reviewed the pre- and postpartum haemoglobin in all women who had undergone caesarean section in the year 2011 at the University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck.

We found a significantly higher blood loss in those patients who were treated without oxytocin bolus but only with oxytocin infusion (-10.5 vs. -9 g/dl).

We recommend to do further studies to clarify the advantage and contraindications of using oxytocin boluses and until to use the oxytocin bolus again in healthy patients but to avoid it in patients with cardiovascular risk.