OBJECTIVE: To analyze the misoprostol use in pregnancies with intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), considering mode of delivery and induction-delivery interval. METHODS: Descriptive study including 171 pregnant women with IUFD, in the second or third trimester, submitted to labor induction with vaginal misoprostol and/or induction/augmentation with intravenous oxytocin, from 2005 to 2008, at a teaching-hospital of the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS). RESULTS: Misoprostol alone (treatment A), misoprostol plus oxytocin (treatment B), and oxytocin alone (treatment C) were administered in 9.3%, 19.9%, and 70.8% of the cases, respectively. One-third of pregnancies were less than 28 weeks, and 2.9% required a caesarean section. The percentage of vaginal delivery in treatments A and B combined (98.0%) was similar to treatment C (96.7%). The mean induction-delivery interval was 15.4hours. Comparing multiple groups, the mean induction-delivery interval was significantly shorter in treatment A (20.1hours) than in treatment B (33.3hours), and was longer than in treatment C (9.7hours). The majority (71%) of cases required a single administration of misoprostol, and the total dosage was lower in treatment A (mean: 98.4μg) compared with treatment B (mean: 157.0μg). CONCLUSION: Misoprostol effectively contributed to delivery of IUFD by vaginal route assisted under routine conditions of a public health service in Brazil, demonstrating its importance in cases resistant to usual induction methods, and its availability in Brazilian public health services is recommended.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the misoprostol use in pregnancies with intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), considering mode of delivery and induction-delivery interval. METHODS: Descriptive study including 171 pregnant women with IUFD, in the second or third trimester, submitted to labor induction with vaginal misoprostol and/or induction/augmentation with intravenous oxytocin, from 2005 to 2008, at a teaching-hospital of the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS). RESULTS:Misoprostol alone (treatment A), misoprostol plus oxytocin (treatment B), and oxytocin alone (treatment C) were administered in 9.3%, 19.9%, and 70.8% of the cases, respectively. One-third of pregnancies were less than 28 weeks, and 2.9% required a caesarean section. The percentage of vaginal delivery in treatments A and B combined (98.0%) was similar to treatment C (96.7%). The mean induction-delivery interval was 15.4hours. Comparing multiple groups, the mean induction-delivery interval was significantly shorter in treatment A (20.1hours) than in treatment B (33.3hours), and was longer than in treatment C (9.7hours). The majority (71%) of cases required a single administration of misoprostol, and the total dosage was lower in treatment A (mean: 98.4μg) compared with treatment B (mean: 157.0μg). CONCLUSION:Misoprostol effectively contributed to delivery of IUFD by vaginal route assisted under routine conditions of a public health service in Brazil, demonstrating its importance in cases resistant to usual induction methods, and its availability in Brazilian public health services is recommended.