Comparative Study Between Preoperative and Postoperative Rectal Misoprostol

In resource-limited countries, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains the leading cause of maternal mortality. The increased rates of caesarean delivery have been incriminated as the primary cause behind the rise in PPH. PPH after a caesarean delivery has been defined as blood loss over 1000 ml. The estimated prevalence rate of PPH is in the range of 0.6%-6.4%.

Increased blood loss after CD reflects several factors, including surgical incisions, lack of background uterine contraction, and manual removal of placenta rather than waiting for its spontaneous separation after placental bed retraction. Minimizing blood loss during delivery is an important preventive health objective aimed at reducing postpartum anemia and related morbidity .

It has been reported that the prevalence of postpartum anemia in low-income countries is approximately 50%-80%. The major cause of postpartum anemia is blood loss at delivery, especially in presence of prepartum anemia. Postpartum anemia constitutes an appreciable health problem among women of reproductive age and is associated with reduced quality of life, impaired cognition, emotional instability, and depression.

Oxytocin is routinely used by obstetricians to prevent excessive blood loss during CD. Oxytocin is the uterotonic of choice in obstetric medicine. Both the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists currently recommend the routine use of oxytocin (5 IU bolus dose or infusion, respectively) after the delivery of the infant as a prophylactic measure against PPH. However, oxytociin is a dangerous drug with serious adverse effects such as hypotension, tachyc ardiaand myocardial ischemia .

Misoprostol is a prostaglandin E1 analogue that effectively prevents and treats PPH owin g to its uterotonic properties. It can be used through different routes: oral; sublingual; bucc al; rectal; and intrauterine with similar efficacy to oxytocin in reducing blood loss. The benefits of misoprostol (cervical dilation and uterine contractions) and its adverse effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and chills) are dose dependent .

Misoprostol is affordable and widely available, easily administered via multiple routes ( vaginal, rectal, sublingual, and oral), and has a good safety profile if properly administered and monitored, all of which make it the standard treatment option for PPH in low-resource settings.

Misoprostol administered vaginally is affected by vaginal acidity and the bacterial micro-environment. Sublingual route has the highest peak concentration; however, it is also associated with the highest incidence of adverse effects due to high peak concentrati on. Rectally administered misoprostol is associated with slower absorption, lower peak c oncentration levels, and reduced adverse effects compared with the oral and sublingua l routes.