Effect of Intraveous Tranexamic Acid and Sublingual Misoprostol on Reducing Post Cesarean Section Bleeding

Abstract

Background and Aim: Cesarean section rates are rising around the globe and are considered as the major surgical procedure conducted on females. Cesarean-related hemorrhage contributes to increasing mortality rates around the world. Due to the rise in cesarean rate and its associated complications, post-cesarean severe bleeding without proper management is a major concern. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the intravenous tranexamic acid (TA) and sublingual misoprostol effect on reducing post-cesarean section bleeding. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 146 term pregnant women undergoing emergency or elective cesarean section at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex, Noshehra during the period from 7th September 2020 to 6th March 2021. All the participants were randomly categorized into two groups. Each group comprised of 73 participants whereas groups I and II received sublingual misoprostol (600 µg) and 500 mg intravenous tranexamic at card clamping respectively. Both groups were administrated for postoperative 48 hours and blood loss was measured. The packed cell volume and postoperative Hb were evaluated and compared with initial values before surgery. The need for blood transfusion, drug side effects, and additional uterotonics was evaluated. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. Results: The mean age of groups I and II were 28.32±4.73 and 28.17±4.83 years whereas the overall mean age was 28.25±4.78years. A higher reduction of hemoglobin level was observed in an intravenous tranexamic group compared to the sublingual group (-2.39±0.93 versus -2.09±1.28g/dL) (p=0.001). Moreover, the intravenous tranexamic group had significantly higher blood suction and gauze usage than sublingual misoprostol (256.73± 83.25versus 189.68± 102.4 cubic centimeter (cc) and 4.59±1.43 versus 3.19±1.27) for a significant value of 0.001. The decrease in mean blood pressure during the cesarean section procedure was significant in intravenous tranexamic than sublingual misoprostol (p=0.001). Conclusion: Our study concluded that sublingual misoprostol significantly reduced total bleeding when compared to tranexamic acid. Furthermore, hemodynamic variables were stabilized more in the misoprostol group than in the tranexamic acid group. Keywords: Cesarean Section Bleeding; Intravenous Tranexamic acid; Sublingual misoprostol.