The timing of intravenous oxytocin administration is crucial to minimize perioperative blood loss during first-trimester suction curettage for missed abortion

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by James

Oxytocin is widely used to reduce blood loss during suction curettage for missed abortion, yet its effectiveness in early pregnancy remains debated. A retrospective study examined whether the timing of intravenous oxytocin affects perioperative blood loss during first-trimester procedures. Among 146 ultrasound-confirmed cases, 10 IU given before curettage lowered perioperative blood loss and reduced the risk of ≥100 mL compared with late administration, though additional research is required.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Conflicts of interest

J Chin MedAssoc Original article The timing of intravenous oxytocin administration is crucial to minimize perioperative blood loss during first-trimester suction curettage for missed abortion Szu-Ting Yanga,b,c, Wen-Hsun Changa,b,d, Wei-Ting Chaoa,b,c, Ting-Jung Laie, Wei-Lin Linf, Hong-Ci Limg, Chia-Hao Liua,b,c,* , Peng-Hui Wanga,b,c,h,i,* aDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; bDepartment of Obstetricsand Gynecology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; cInstitute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; dDepartment of Nursing, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; eDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cardinal Tien Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC; fDepartment of Obstetricsand Gynecology, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC; gDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; hDepartment of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC; iFemale Cancer Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Abstract Background: Oxytocin is commonly used to reduce blood loss during suction curettage for missed abortion. However, the potential of oxytocin to mitigate blood loss in early pregnancy remains controversial. Based on the hypothesis that the “timing” of oxytocin administration may be a critical factor, we investigated whether the timing of intravenous (IV) administration is associated with reduced perioperative blood loss during first-trimester suction curettage for missed abortion. Methods: The medical charts of 146 patients with ultrasound-confirmed first-trimester missed abortion who underwent suction curettage with IV oxytocin administration were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Among the patients, 67 received 10 IU of IV oxytocin before suction curettage (early-oxytocin administration group), while 79 patients received 10 IU of IV oxytocin after suction curettage (late-oxytocin administration group) . The demographic features between the two groups did not significantly differ. However, there was a lower proportion of nulliparous patients in the early-oxytocin administration group than in the late-oxytocin administration group (38 .8% vs 60.8%, p = 0 .006) . The perioperative blood loss amount was significantly lower in the early-oxytocin administration group than in the late-oxytocin administration group (60 [range: 50–100] vs 100 [range: 30–250] mL, p = 0.001) . Moreover, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the early-oxytocin administration group had a lower risk for a perioperative blood loss amount of ≥100 mL than the late-oxytocin administration group (0 .23 [range: 0.10–0.55], p = 0 .001); a gestational age of 9–12 weeks (p = 0 .009) was found to be associated with an increased risk for a perioperative blood loss amount of ≥100 mL. Conclusion: Compared with late-oxytocin administration, early-oxytocin administration could reduce perioperative blood loss during first-trimester suction curettage for missed abortion. However, the results require further investigation. Keywords: First trimester; Missed abortion; Oxytocin; Perioperative blood loss; Suction curettage * Address correspondence. Dr. Chia-Hao Liu, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201, Section 2, Shi-Pai Road, Taipei 112, Taiwan, [ROC. E-mail address: mikeliuu@gmail.com](ROC. E-mail address: mikeliuu@gmail.com) (C.-H. Liu); Dr. Peng-Hui Wang, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201, Section 2, Shi-Pai Road, Taipei 112, Taiwan, ROC. E-mail [address: phwang@vghtpe.gov.tw](address: phwang@vghtpe.gov.tw) (P.-H. Wang). Conflicts of interest: Dr. Peng-Hui Wang, an editorial board member at Journal of the Chinese Medical Association, had no role in the peer review process of or decision

FAQs

What question did the study investigate about oxytocin use?

The study investigated whether the timing of intravenous oxytocin administration (before vs after suction curettage) is associated with perioperative blood loss during first-trimester surgery for missed abortion.

How were patients divided into early and late oxytocin groups?

Patients received 10 IU of intravenous oxytocin either before suction curettage (early-oxytocin group) or after suction curettage (late-oxytocin group).

What was the main outcome regarding perioperative blood loss?

Perioperative blood loss was significantly lower in the early-oxytocin group than in the late-oxytocin group, and early administration was associated with a lower risk of blood loss ≥100 mL in multivariate analysis.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by James