Management of preterm labor with the use of salbutamol as a tocolytic agent: perinatal center, PCMC experience

Twenty nine patients in true premature labor as evidenced by cervical dilatation of 2-3 cm. and regular uterine contractions every 3 min. received Salbutamol therapy. In 65.5% of cases, contractions stopped within 6 hours of therapy, 24.1% within 7 to 24 hours. In 10% cervical dilatation was 4 cms and more; tocolysis was effected after more than 24 hours of therapy. There were 5 perinatal deaths, a case of triplets admitted at 24-25 weeks age of gestation and tocolyzed until 27 weeks age of gestation when delivery was inevitable. Babies weighed less than 1,000 gms. There were no complications of therapy. There were no derangement of blood sugar and potassium levels. The other two neonatal deaths were those of abruptio placenta and early rupture of membranes with mortalites secondary to extreme prematurity.

A comparison of blood carbon monoxides levels of pregnant women and their neonates from rural and urban areas

Fifteen (15) pregnant women and 14 neonates from an urban community as well as 12 pregnant women and 6 of their neonates from a rural community were included in the study. All other factors being comparable such as maternal age and age of gestations, with the absence of smoking habits, pulmonary and cardiac diseases for both groups, blood carboxyhemoglobin levels were determined and compared. All blood specimens were brought to the same laboratory and examined by the same person for spectrophotometric analysis of carboxyhemoglobin from both rural and urban areas were significantly higher than their neonates. Maternal caboxyhemoglobin levels were higher in the urban area than in the rural area. Statistical analysis also show that carboxyhemoglobin levels of mothers from both rural and urban areas as well as neonates from urban area have significantly higher levels as compared to the normal acceptable level of 2% which is secondary to endogenous carbon monoxide production.