Aggregate analysis of oxytocin incidents

Oxytocin is a valuable, time-tested drug and one of the most commonly used medications during labour and delivery.It acts on the smooth muscle of the uterus to stimulate contractions. In Canada, its uses include the induction of labour in patients with a medical indication for the initiation of labour; the stimulation and reinforcement of labour; and to control postpartum bleeding and hemorrhage.' As a high-alert medication, oxytocin bears a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm if used in error. For example, use of this drug to induce labour has been associated with significant adverse effects to both the mother (e.g., arrhythmias, uterine hyperstimulation, postpartum hemorrhage) and the fetus (e.g., bradycardia, hypoxia, hyperbilirubinemia, retinal hemorrhage).This bulletin shares information about incidents involving the use of oxytocin that have been voluntarily reported to the Canadian Medication Incident Reporting and Prevention System (CMIRPS). It includes an overview of the incidents and highlights major themes identified through a multi-incident analysis to raise awareness about continuous improvement opportunities for management of this medication.