Carbetocin at Elective Cesarean Delivery

Summary

Post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal death worldwide. Oxytocin is the most commonly uterotonic drug used to prevent and treat PPH in North America, however, there are some limitations to its use. Oxytocin has a very short duration of action, which requires a continuous infusion to achieve sustained uterotonic activity. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) has recently recommended a single 100mcg dose of carbetocin at elective Cesarean delivery to promote uterine contraction and prevent post partum hemorrhage (PPH), in lieu of the more traditional oxytocin regimens. Carbetocin lasts 4 to 7 times longer than oxytocin, with a similar side effect profile and apparent greater efficacy rate. However, a dose response to determine the minimum effective dose of carbetocin has not yet been published. We hypothesize that a dose-response study will establish the minimum dose of carbetocin required to produce appropriate contractility in 95% of the women (ED95) undergoing elective cesarean delivery.

Timeline

Start

2010-11

Primary completion

2011-03

Completion

2011-03

Publications

• Cordovani D, Balki M, Farine D, Seaward G, Carvalho JC. Carbetocin at elective Cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial to determine the effective dose. Can J Anaesth. 2012 Aug;59(8):751-7. doi: 10.1007/s12630-012-9728-2. Epub 2012 Jun 21.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.