Active management of the third stage of labor: Does the application mode of oxytocin influence the outcome?

Introduction: Postpartum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. Prophylactic administration of uterotonics, such as Oxytocin, during the third stage of labor is a well established intervention to significantly decrease the incidence of PPH. In order to decrease haemodynamic and cardiovascular adverse effects the administarion of Oxytocin as an intravenous bolus (5 IE) has been replaced by an intravenous short-term infusion (5 IE Oxytocin i.v. over a period of 5 minutes) in Switzerland in 2010. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of postpartum adverse outcome after this a…