A comparison of salbutamol and ethanol in the treatment of preterm labour.

Intravenous salbutamol and ethanol were compared as treatments for preterm labour, 42 patients being assigned randomly to salbutamol and 46 to ethanol. There was no statistically significant difference in outcome between patients in the two groups, the mean delay in delivery achieved being 15 days with salbutamol and 20 days with ethanol. Neither treatment was very effective since only 10 patients given salbutamol and 14 given ethanol had their delivery postponed to 37 weeks or later. Salbutamol was more rapidly acting than ethanol but produced more cardiovascular side effects.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes