Oxytocin and neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Studies of bilirubin production
J. D. Johnson, M. Aldrich, P. Angelus, D. K. Stevenson, D. W. Smith, M. J. Herschel, C. Papagaroufalis and T. Valaes
We studied the effect of oxytocin induction or augmentation of labor on
rates of bilirubin production in newborns at three different institutions.
Bilirubin production, assessed quantitatively by the pulmonary excretion
rate of carbon monoxide or qualitatively by the blood carboxyhemoglobin
concentration, was not elevated when compared with appropriately matched
control groups. Previous studies have implicated administration of large
volumes of electrolyte-free dextrose solutions together with oxytocin as an
important factor contributing to hemolysis in the infant. The mothers in
our studies received minimal amounts of free water. We conclude that
oxytocin induction or augmentation of labor does not result in neonatal
hemolysis and subsequent hyperbilirubinemia when it is administered without
large volumes of sodium-free intravenous solutions.
