NHS OFFICIALS have issued a national safety alert after reported overdoses of a common drug used in labour and after childbirth. Oxytocin is a hormone that is used to alter contractions during labour or to control bleeding after childbirth. 1 A patient safety alert has been issued after cases of oxytocin overdose have been reported Credit: Getty But accidental administration of a postnatal dose of oxytocin before the birth of the baby can lead to "significant harm" to mother and baby, NHS officials said.
NHS officials say 25 oxytocin overdose incidents have been reported in the last five years. Some include incidents in which oxytocin infusions and IV fluids were "confused", leading to oxytocin "running through freely or at a significantly increased rate during labour". The patient safety alert describes one case in which a baby was sent to intensive care after an incident.
Read more on baby deaths WORST NIGHTMARE My baby died in my arms after hospital pumped him with 'contaminated' feed AGONY Docs told me I wasn’t in labour then I felt feet - my baby died in my arms days later "A woman (received) a pre-prepared postpartum oxytocin infusion in place of IV fluids while in labour," the alert states. "The baby's heart rate slowed, and the woman required an emergency caesarean section due to a placental abruption. "The baby was born in poor condition and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for close monitoring.
" Other reports described include postpartum oxytoci.