Effects of two different protocols of oxytocin infusion for labor induction on obstetric outcomes: A cohort study*

Objective: Concerns remain about the safety and ef-ficacy of high dose and low dose protocols of oxytocin for labor induction. We have compared 2 regimens of oxytocin induction (low-dose vs high dose) on peri-natal outcomes over a 1-year period. Study Design: Included were all women undergoing induction of labor at term with live singleton gestations. Cesarean delivery (CD) and a composite adverse neonatal out-come (5-min Apgar score < 7, umbilical artery pH < 7.10, or need for admission to NICU) were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Admission-to-deli-very intervals was compared between the two groups by log-rank test. Results: A total of 544 women ful-filled the study criteria. The two groups were compa-rable for demographic and obstetric variables. There was no significant association between oxytocin regi-men and rates of CD (P = 0.77) or adverse neonatal outcome (P = 0.99) even after controlling for con-founders. The admission-to-delivery interval was sig-nificantly shorter for the high-dose group than for the low-dose group (median interval = 11.7 vs 14.3 hours, respectively, P = 0.026). Conclusion: Use of a high-dose protocol of oxytocin administration for induc-tion of labor at term is associated with similar rates of cesarean section and adverse neonatal outcome as a low-dose protocol, but with an average of 2.5 hours shorter duration of labor