Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2024)

Background: Hyoscine N-butyl-bromide (HBB) is an extract from the leaves of Dubosia tree and also belongs to the parasympatholytic group of drugs. Efforts are ongoing to evaluate the smooth muscle relaxation property of hyoscine butyl bromide in facilitating cervical dilatation, shortening the active phase of labour and possibly resulting in positive pregnancy outcome.
Objectives: To compare the pregnancy outcome in pregnant women following the administration of hyoscine bromide or placebo in Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Study Design: A randomised, double-blind controlled trial comparing the effect of intravenous hyoscine butyl bromide to placebo on the duration of active phase of labour and it involved two groups namely; parturient who received 20mg intravenous hyoscine butyl bromide and parturient who received 5mls of intravenous normal saline as placebo.
Methodology: A total of 272 parturient who satisfied the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study by systematic sampling. These were equal number of 136 participants each who received 20mg intravenous hyoscine butyl bromide and who received 5 mls of intravenous normal saline as placebo. They were matched for gestational age and social status. The results were analysed using SPSS version 24 with appropriate tables and figures generated.
Results: The mean duration of active phase of labour in hyosine butyl bromide group was 270.2±90.6 minutes compared to 303.6±94.5 minutes in placebo group (p value = 0.005). There was no significant difference in the estimated blood loss between the study and placebo groups who had vaginal delivery (216.8±92.0 ml versus 210.0±66.4 ml; p value = 0.513) or caesarean section (454.2±109.7 ml versus 523.5±183.8 ml; p value = 0.254). The neonatal outcome among study and placebo groups relative to 1 minute (p value = 0.280) and 5 minute (p value = 0.238) APGAR scores did not show any statistically significance difference. The neonatal admission into intensive care unit was similar in the two groups (13.2% versus 14.7%; p value = 0.726).
Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the pregnancy outcome following the administration of intravenous hyoscine butyl bromide or intravenous placebo in active phase of labour.
Recommendation: A larger multi-centre study on the subject matter is recommended to fully justify the findings in this study.