Efficacy of intra-umbilical oxytocin in the management of retained placenta: A randomized controlled trial

Aim: Retained placenta is an important cause of maternal mortality. The present study was aimed to determine the efficacy of umbilical injection of oxytocin as a treatment modality in this condition. Material and Methods: This was a single‐center randomized controlled trial incorporating 58 women with retained placenta of more than 30 min, equally distributed into two study arms of intra‐umbilical injection of oxytocin (50 IU oxytocin diluted with normal saline [NS] to a total volume 30 mL) and intra‐umbilical injection of NS (30 mL). Primary outcome was expulsion of the placenta within 30 min following intervention. All the data were analyzed on an intention‐to‐treat basis. Results: The success rate in the intra‐umbilical oxytocin group was 51.72% compared to 20.69% in the control arm. This difference in the primary outcome was statistically significant with a P‐value