• Leiv Arne Rosseland, Audun Stubhaug, Tor Hugo Hauge, Guro Grindheim, and Eldrid Langesaeter.
• Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. l.a.rosseland@medisin.uio.no
• Anesthesiology. 2013 Sep 1;119(3):541-51.

BackgroundLittle is known about maternal hemodynamics after Cesarean delivery. Uterine contractions may increase cardiac output. Oxytocin is the first-line treatment for uterine atony, although the effects of the long-acting oxytocin analogue carbetocin are comparable with that of oxytocin. The authors analyzed the effects of i.v. oxytocin 5 U, carbetocin 100 μg, and placebo on hemodynamics, uterine tone, adverse events, and blood loss after Cesarean delivery.MethodsThis was a randomized, double-blinded, placebocontrolled, parallel-group comparison of carbetocin and oxytocin after elective Cesarean delivery of singletons under spinal anesthesia (n = 76). Continuously measured invasive systolic arterial pressure was the primary outcome measure.ResultsThe mean systolic arterial pressure decrease was 28 mmHg (95% CI, 22-34) after oxytocin and 26 mmHg (95% CI, 20-31) after carbetocin. The decrease was greatest after 80 (95% CI, 71-89) and 63 s (95% CI, 55-72), respectively (P = 0.006). The differences were nearly undetectable after 2.5 min, although the effect of carbetocin was slightly greater than placebo (P < 0.001). The group differences in systolic arterial pressure decreased over 5 min and were gone at 1 h. Heart rate and cardiac output increased in all three groups. Stroke volume increased after oxytocin and carbetocin but was unchanged after placebo.ConclusionsThe hemodynamic side effects of oxytocin 5 U and carbetocin 100 μg were comparable. The lack of an increase in stroke volume in the placebo group challenges the theory that uterine contraction causes autotransfusion of uterine blood, leading to an increase in preload.

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