Oxytocin infusion is a safe uterine bleeding controller alternative to blood transfusion in patients undergoing abdominal myomectomy

Abstract

Background & objective: Uterine bleeding is a notable complication that can occur after the surgical removal of uterine fibroids, and oxytocin infusion has been a commonly used method to control blood loss in such cases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of oxytocin infusion in managing surgical bleeding following abdominal myomectomy, as an alternative to immediate blood transfusion. Methodology: The study population consisted of 120 patients who experienced acute blood loss following abdominal myomectomy. These patients were divided into two groups: Group A, which included 50 patients who received an oxytocin infusion, and Group B, which included 60 patients who received a placebo. All myomectomies were conducted according to department protocols, and various variables related to the study were recorded. Postoperative hemoglobin levels were checked in every patient. Results: In Group A, the average blood loss was 470.02 ± 81.65 ml, while in Group B, it was 721.42 ml ± 63.55 ml (P < 0.0001). The need for urgent blood transfusion was significantly lower in Group A (3.3%) compared to Group B (20.0%), (P = 0.044). Postoperative hemoglobin levels also showed a significant difference between the two groups, with Group A demonstrating better results than Group B. Conclusion: Oxytocin infusion can be safely used for managing blood loss in patients undergoing abdominal myomectomy. However, in cases where oxytocin is unable to effectively control the bleeding, blood transfusion may be needed as a means to compensate for the blood loss. Key Words: Uterine leiomyomas; Myomectomy; Surgical blood loss; Oxytocin Citation: Nasief H, Hassan A, AlDardeir N, Khadawardi K, Alwazzan AB, Alothmani H, Hammad Z. Oxytocin infusion is a safe uterine bleeding controller alternative to blood transfusion in patients undergoing abdominal myomectomy. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2024;28(1):05−09; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v28i1.2298 Received: October 05, 2023; Reviewed: October 17, 2023; Accepted: November 19, 2023