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Chapter 48 - Augmentation of Labour

from Section 5 - Intrapartum Care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2021

By
Rumana Rahman  and
Neela Mukhopadhaya
Edited by
Tahir Mahmood ,
Charles Savona Ventura ,
Ioannis Messinis  and
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Tahir Mahmood
Affiliation:
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Charles Savona Ventura
Affiliation:
University of Malta, Malta
Ioannis Messinis
Affiliation:
University of Thessaly, Greece
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Affiliation:
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, UK
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Summary

Augmentation of labour is the process of stimulating the uterus to increase the frequency, duration and intensity of contractions after the onset of labour. Augmentation is used to treat delayed labour when uterine contractions are assessed to be insufficiently strong or inappropriately coordinated to effectively cause cervical dilation or effacement. Labour augmentation has traditionally been performed with the use of intravenous oxytocin infusion and/or artificial rupture of amniotic membranes. The procedure aims to shorten labour in order to prevent complications relating to undue prolongation and to avert caesarean section. It is central to the concept of active management of the first stage of labour, which was proposed about four decades ago as a strategy for expediting labour and reducing caesarean section rates [1].

Type
Chapter
Information
The EBCOG Postgraduate Textbook of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Obstetrics & Maternal-Fetal Medicine
 , pp. 398 - 402
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

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