Suppression of pre-term labour with salbutamol [ventolin]

ABSTRACT

Over a period of nine months, 33 patients with pre-mature labour were treated with salbutomal, for it's sympthomymetic effect. Seventeen patients [51.1%] required intravenous infection for 24 to 48 hours to suppress acute episode of pre-term labour while in 16 patients [48.9%] uterine contractions stopped with oral therapy only. All patients however required salbutomal tablets as maintenance therapy till 37 weeks of gestation. The results showed that this therapy was successful in lengthening gestation for a period of more than weeks in 79% of cases [26 patients], whereas the therapy was prolonged for 8 to 12 days in 15% of cases [5 patients]. The absolute failure rate was 6% [2 patients] only