Management of Third Stage of Labor: A Comparison of Intraumbilical Oxytocin and Placental Cord Drainage

Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage is an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. There are some active and physiologic methods for management of third stage of labor. This study is aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of intraumbilical vein injection of oxytocin and placental cord drainage in the management of third stage of labor. Methods: In this prospective clinical trial, 152 women received 20 ml of a 0.9% saline solution with either 20 units of oxytocin injected in the umbilical vein after clamping (Group A, n = 51), placental cord drainage (Group B, n = 50) or no intervention (Group C, n = 51). The primary outcome was mean duration of third stage of labor. Results: The third stage of labor was significantly shorter in group A and B as compared to group C (3.50, 3.54 vs. 5.16min, P = 0.001). There were no reports of need for manual removal of placenta or retained placenta. Conclusion: The use of intraumbilical injection of oxytocin and placental cord drainage in the third stage of labor significantly reduced the duration of the third stage.