Effect of pre-operative sub-lingual misoprostol versus intravenous oxytocin on Caesarean operation blood loss

Background: Caesarean operation remains the most common abdominal surgery in women and has immense benefits to both mother and baby when employed. Haemorrhage, however, remains the greatest challenge associated with its outcome.Objective: To compare the effectiveness of pre-operative sub-lingual misoprostol with intravenous oxytocin administered after delivery of the neonate in minimising blood loss at Caesarean operationDesign: A prospective study.Results: The mean blood loss was significantly lower in misoprostol group compared to oxytocin group (517.32mls versus 621.22mls; p = 0.005). The drop in haematocrit was significantly lower in misoprostol group than the oxytocin group, (400μg-misoprostol versus oxytocin: 1.88 versus 3.04; p=0.0001). Side effects of chills, shivering and pyrexia were noted more with the use of misoprostol.Conclusion: Pre-operative sub-lingual misoprostol is more effective than intravenous infusion of oxytocin in reducing blood loss at Caesarean section operation. However, occurrence of transient side effects of chills, shivering and pyrexia were noted more with use of misoprostol