Prophylactic uterotonics in the prevention of primary postpartum haemorrhage for unplanned out-of-hospital births: a literature review

INTRODUCTION: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Protocols for the use of prophylactic uterotonics in strategy to prevent PPH have been implemented for in-hospital births following recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). There are currently no guidelines for prophylactic uterotonic use in out-of-hospital (OOH) births by ambulance crews despite inappropriate birthing conditions and difficulties in obtaining a timely response from community midwives. The aim of this article is to review the use of uterotonic drugs used for the prevention of PPH which could be administered in OOH births. METHODS: The PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were searched for papers discussing the use of prophylactic uterotonics in the third stage of labour, utilising the MeSH keywords: third stage labour, prophylactic, uterotonic. Primary studies, meta-analyses and systematic reviews published between 1998 and 2018 were eligible for inclusion. A review of the full text of the included papers was undertaken using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists. RESULTS: Of the published articles, 392 were returned, 25 of which met the inclusion criteria. Following assessment of the full text, 11 papers were included for discussion, including a large randomised control trial (WOMAN trial) on the use of tranexamic acid (TXA), which while not a uterotonic drug, was considered a significant drug in the context of PPH management. CONCLUSIONS: PPH is a low incidence, but high risk complication of childbirth. While it is possible for paramedics to administer uterotonics during the third stage of labour, there have been no OOH trials with paramedics to explore whether prophylactic use is safe and effective in the OOH births before arrival (BBA) scenario. Further research is required to determine the efficacy of prophylactic uterotonics in reducing PPH within pre-hospital care.