A RARE CASE OF OXYTOCIN-INDUCED MATERNAL CARDIAC BRADYARRHYTHMIA DURING LABOUR

The report a rare case of oxytocin-induced severe maternal bradyarrhythmia of a young healthy term primigravida with a singleton pregnancy in spontaneous labour. Augmentation of labour was initiated immediately following the diagnosis of poor progression of labour at four centimetres dilatation. An oxytocin infusion was administered as per standard hospital titration protocol. The patient developed ongoing, persistent episodes of severe bradycardia within six hours of commencement of the oxytocin infusion, as detected by routine pulse oximeter for maternal heart rate monitoring and confirmed manually. Oxytocin was ceased as soon this was recognised, and delivery was expedited by emergency caesarean section both for inadequate progress in labour and the inability to continue oxytocin infusion. Despite being theoretically known to cause cardiac arrhythmias, as a side effect, to our knowledge this is the first reported case in published literature of oxytocin-induced maternal bradycardia.