COMPARISON OF DEXAMETHASONE GIVEN INTRAVENOUSLY TO MISOPROSTOL GIVEN BY VAGINAL ROUT IN ARTIFICIAL LABOR INDUCTION

Abstract

Background: Doctors have recently become interested in using corticosteroids as a potential future agent that may be used to speed up the physiological process of labor, and this interest has been shared by a number of academics and investigators.
The study objective: The objective of the research is to contrast safety and efficacy of intravenous dexamethasone to that of vaginal misoprostol.
Patients and methods: The current project was designed as randomized controlled clinical trial. The current study enrolled 70 women at term pregnancy. The work has been carried out at “the department of obstetrics and gynecology” in Pediatric and Maternity Teaching Hospital in Iraq, Adiwaniyah Province during the time interval spanning the January the 2nd 2022 through June the 15th 2023. Those women were allocated in a random manner into two groups. The first group was considered group of intervention and they received dexamethasone sodium phosphate by intravenous rout (single dose of 8 mg) given 4 hours prior to the start of labor enhancement by oxytocin infusion; whereas, the second group was considered as control group since they were treated with vaginal 25 mcg of misoprostol tablet every four hours with evaluation of score of Bishop prior to each dose with a sum of four doses.
Results: The average of “time interval between induction and active phase” was shorter in a significant way in interventional category in comparison with category of controls, 8.29 ±3.51 hours versus 13.08 ±6.72 hours, respectively (p <0.001). The average of “time interval between active phase and vaginal delivery” was also shorter in a significant way in interventional category in comparison with control group, 3.37 ±2.49 hours versus 7.15 ±4.02 hours, respectively (p <0.001). In addition, the average of “time interval between induction and vaginal delivery” was shorter significantly in interventional category in comparison with group of controls, 11.08 ±5.71 hours versus 19.84 ±9.04 hours, respectively (p <0.001).
Conclusion: The utilization of dexamethasone, given intravenously, for induction of delivery in term pregnancy is helpful in reducing times intervals between induction and active phase, between active phase and vaginal delivery and between induction and vaginal delivery and this is clinically important because it will be associated with lower rates of fetal and maternal complications.