Cervical ripening with foley balloon plus fixed versus incremental low-dose oxytocin: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cervical ripening with foley balloon combined with a fixed vs. incremental low-dose oxytocin infusion. METHODS: Women presenting for term labor induction were randomized to fixed low-dose or standard incremental low-dose oxytocin infusion following foley balloon placement. The primary outcome was time from foley balloon placement to delivery. RESULTS: Among 116 subjects, there was no difference in median time to delivery among subjects receiving fixed low-dose vs. standard incremental low-dose oxytocin during induction of labor with a foley balloon (23.7 vs. 19.2 hours). There were no differences between the two groups in median time to foley bulb extrusion, active labor and second stage of labor or incidence of uterine tachysystole, fetal heart rate abnormalities, mode of delivery or maternal hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: There is no difference in median time to delivery in women undergoing cervical ripening with a foley balloon combined with a fixed low-dose or standard incremental low-dose oxytocin.

Duke Scholars

Author Geeta Krishna Swamy Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal Fetal Medicine