Misoprostol in addition to routine treatment of postpartum hemorrhage: A hospital-based randomized-controlled trial in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains a major killer of women worldwide. Standard uterotonic treatments used to control postpartum bleeding do not always work and are not always available. Misoprostol's potential as a treatment option for PPH is increasingly known, but its use remains ad hoc and available evidence does not support the safety or efficacy of one particular regimen. This study aimed to determine the adjunct benefit of misoprostol when combined with standard oxytocics for PPH treatment. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in four Karachi hospitals from December 2005 – April 2007 to assess the benefit of a 600 mcg dose of misoprostol given sublingually in addition to standard oxytocics for postpartum hemorrhage treatment. Consenting women had their blood loss measured after normal vaginal delivery and were enrolled in the study after losing more than 500 ml of blood. Women were randomly assigned to receive either 600 mcg sublingual misoprostol or matching placebo in addition to standard PPH treatment with injectable oxytocics. Both women and providers were blinded to the treatment assignment. Blood loss was collected until active bleeding stopped and for a minimum of one hour after PPH diagnosis. Total blood loss, hemoglobin measures, and treatment outcomes were recorded for all participants. Results: Due to a much lower rate of PPH than expected (1.2%), only sixty-one patients were diagnosed and treated for their PPH in this study, and we were therefore unable to measure statistical significance in any of the primary endpoints. The addition of 600 mcg sublingual misoprostol to standard PPH treatments does, however, suggest a trend in reduced postpartum blood loss, a smaller drop in postpartum hemoglobin, and need for fewer additional interventions. Women who bled less overall had a significantly smaller drop in hemoglobin and received fewer additional interventions. There were no hysterectomies or maternal deaths among study participants. The rate of transient shivering and fever was significantly higher among women receiving misoprostol Conclusion: A 600 mcg dose of misoprostol given sublingually shows promise as an adjunct treatment for PPH and its use should continue to be explored for its life-saving potential in the care of women experiencing PPH. Trial Registration: Clinical trials.gov, Registry No. NCT00116480

Effectiveness of medical abortion with mifepristone and buccal misoprostol through 59 gestational days

BACKGROUND: From 2001 to March 2006, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (Planned Parenthood) health centers throughout the United States provided medical abortions principally by a regimen of oral mifepristone, followed 24-48 h later by vaginal misoprostol. In late March 2006, analyses of serious uterine infections following medical abortions led Planned Parenthood to change the route of misoprostol administration and to employ additional measures to minimize subsequent serious uterine infections. In August 2006, we conducted an extensive audit of medical abortions with the new buccal misoprostol regimen so that patients could be given accurate information about the success rate of the new regimen. OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the buccal medical abortion regimen and to examine correlates of its success during routine service delivery. METHODS: In 2006, audits were conducted in 10 large urban service points to estimate the success rates of the buccal regimen. Success was defined as medical abortion without vacuum aspiration. These audits also permitted estimates of success rates with oral misoprostol following mifepristone in a subset in which 98% of the subjects stemmed from two sites. RESULTS: The effectiveness of the buccal misoprostol-mifepristone regimen was 98.3% for women with gestational ages below 60 days. The oral misoprostol-mifepristone regimen, used by 278 women with a gestational age below 50 days, had a success rate of 96.8%. CONCLUSION: In conjunction with 200 mg of mifepristone, use of 800 mcg of buccal misoprostol up to 59 days of gestation is as effective as the use of 800 mcg of vaginal misoprostol up to 63 days of gestation.

Efectividad del tratamiento médico con misoprostol según dosis administrada en aborto retenido menor de 12 semanas

Antecedentes: El manejo terapéutico del aborto retenido consiste en evacuar la cavidad uterina espontáneamente o utilizando misoprostol previo al legrado quirúrgico. Objetivo: Evaluar la necesidad de dilatación mecánica post maduración cervical con misoprostol y la tasa de perforación uterina post legrado, utilizando diferentes dosis de misoprostol en pacientes con diagnóstico de aborto retenido menor a 12 semanas. Métodos: Se registraron datos demográficos y ginecológicos de una cohorte retrospectiva de pacientes con diagnóstico de aborto retenido menor a 12 semanas, entre enero de 2008 y diciembre de 2010. Se establecieron 3 grupos de trabajo según la dosis de misoprostol administrada vía vaginal, siendo de 100 (n=131), 200 (n=231) y 400 µg (n=230), y se observaron las complicaciones asociadas al procedimiento. Resultados: La necesidad de dilatación mecánica fue significativamente mayor en el grupo que recibió 100 µg de misoprostol al compararlo con el de 200 µg y 400 µg (p<0,01). No hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las que recibieron 200 versus 400 µg de misoprostol. No hubo diferencias significativas respecto a perforación uterina. Conclusión: En el aborto retenido menor a 12 semanas, la necesidad de dilatación mecánica post maduración cervical, es menor si se utiliza 200 o 400 µg de misoprostol, sin diferencias en la tasa de perforación uterina.