Should oxytocin be used in labour less frequently?
The drug increases the odds for severe postpartum haemorrhage: study
Use of oxytocin in labour is one of the few risk factors for severe postpartum haemorrhage that can be modified, say the authors of a study of births in Victoria.
Reducing its use, and taking steps to prevent severe perineal lacerations, are the two strategies they suggest after analysing data on all births in the state between 2009 and 2013 (about 365,000).
