Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology : the journal of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
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Multicenter Study
Characteristics of women with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy who chose to continue compassionate use of placebo after a randomised trial.
The placebo effect has not been characterised in pregnant women suffering from nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP). Our aim was to characterise determinants of the placebo effect in women treated with placebo for NVP. We analysed data from a multicentre, double blind randomised controlled trial of Diclectin (delayed release doxylamine and pyridoxine) vs placebo for the treatment of NVP. ⋯ Women who chose to continue placebo on a compassionate basis (n = 41) had significantly better improvement in symptoms of NVP and higher Wellbeing scores than those who did not ask to continue compassionate use. Results were similar in the active drug arm. The request to continue compassionate use of either placebo or active drug could be predicted by greater improvement in symptoms of NVP during the trial period.
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Pudendal nerve blocks are a pre-requisite to forceps delivery without regional anaesthesia. Their efficacy is dependent on introducing local anaesthetic in close proximity to the pudendal nerve and allowing sufficient time for its onset of action. ⋯ The majority of participants were unable to describe correctly the point of infiltration and were unaware of the lag time required to effect adequate analgesia. We identify a deficiency in training and describe a method by which training can be facilitated and assessed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A randomised controlled trial of sublingual misoprostol and intramuscular oxytocin for prevention of postpartum haemorrhage.
This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and side-effects of 200 μg sublingual misoprostol vs 5 IU i.m. oxytocin, administered immediately following cord clamping in normal non-augmented vaginal delivery, in prevention of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). A total of 104 women were randomised into three groups: misoprostol group (28 patients); oxytocin group (37 patients) and control group (39 patients). Misoprostol and oxytocin significantly minimised the blood loss during the third stage of labour and reduced the need for additional treatments for PPH as compared with the control group. ⋯ However, a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, associated with tachycardia was observed in the oxytocin group. In conclusion, sublingual misoprostol appears to be less effective than i.m. oxytocin in the prevention of PPH; however, it has the potential advantages of being easily used, cost-effective and stable at room temperature. Therefore, sublingual misoprostol is still a feasible drug for routine management of third stage, especially in areas with limited medical facilities.