title: Induction of labour after fetal death: a randomized controlled trial of two prostaglandin regimens.
abstract: A total of 85 women with antepartum fetal death between 14 and 42 weeks gestation was randomly assigned to one of two regimens of intravenous infusion of the prostaglandin analogue 16-phenoxy-17, 18, 19, 20-tetranor-PGE2-methylsulphonamide (sulprostone) for inducing labour. Women received either 1 microgram/min until delivery or the commonly recommended treatment of 1500 micrograms in 8 h followed by another, identical course of treatment if delivery did not occur within 24 h. The 1 microgram/min dose schedule used half the amount of prostaglandin and resulted in statistically significantly fewer gastrointestinal side-effects compared with the conventional treatment. All women were delivered vaginally and there were no differences in induction-to-delivery intervals between the two treatments. Sulprostone infused at a rate of 1 microgram/min resulted in a 50% chance of being delivered within 12 h and a 90% chance of being delivered within 24 h, with an overall frequency of side-effects of 20%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Leiden University, University Hospital, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kanhai
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Keirse
mesh_terms: D000019:Abortifacient Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007751:Labor, Induced; D011247:Pregnancy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000019:Abortifacient Agents; C016767:sulprostone; D015232:Dinoprostone