Korean J Anesthesiol.  1998 Jan;34(1):204-207. 10.4097/kjae.1998.34.1.204.

Intravenous Nitroglycerin Administration for Manual Removal of Retained Placenta: A Case Report

Affiliations
  • 1Derpartment of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, Inha University, Inha General Hospital, Sung Nam, Korea.

Abstract

Retained placenta around which the uterus firmly contracted occurs in about 1% of all vaginal deliveries and may require uterine muscle relaxation to facilitate manual extraction. It is associated with profuse hemorrhage and life threatening shock. Therefore anesthesiologist may face the difficulty to provide analgesia and rapid uterine relaxation. A 32-yr-old multigravida was transferred to the emergency room in hypovolemic shock state at 1 hour after vaginal delivery. Ketamine 30 mg, fentanyl 50 mcg were given intravenously for analgesia and sedation. Oxygen 6 L/min was supplied via face mask. With ongoing fluid resuscitation, nitroglycerin 500 mcg was injected as an intravenous bolus. Within 80 seconds, the uterus relaxed enough to extract the retained placenta. The recovery of uterine muscle tone occurred approximately 1 minute after manual removal with administration of intravenous methylergonovine. In summary, the use of intravenous nitroglycerin may be a useful and safe alternative to general anesthesia in cases of manual removal of retained placenta.

Keyword

Anesthesia: obstetric; Pharmacology: nitroglycerin; Uterus: retained placenta

MeSH Terms

Analgesia
Anesthesia, General
Animals
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
Fentanyl
Hemorrhage
Ketamine
Masks
Methylergonovine
Mice
Myometrium
Nitroglycerin*
Oxygen
Placenta, Retained*
Relaxation
Resuscitation
Shock
Uterus
Fentanyl
Ketamine
Methylergonovine
Nitroglycerin
Oxygen
Full Text Links
  • KJAE
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr