The induction of premature labor by means of pitocin in patients with toxemia of pregnancy

Abstract

All obstetricians are faced at some time with the necessity for interrupting a pregnancy complicated by toxemia between the twenty-eighth and the thirty-fourth week. When the toxemia fails to respond to treatment, termination of the pregnancy is advisable for the sake of both mother and child. Once the decision has been made, with full knowledge that prematurity is a factor to be considered, the next question is what method to use. The majority of these mothers show no sign of impending labor such as engagement of the head or effacement and dilatation of the cervix. They have what is described so often in the literature as the “long, closed cervix.” It is this type of patient, primigravida or multigravida, who is usually subjected to cesarean section.The purpose of this paper is to describe a method of induction which permits vaginal delivery in such cases. We believe that the technique, because it achieves a normal birth, is preferable to the surgical approach, as it not only increases the infant's chances for survival, but also improves the outlook for future childbearing on the part of the mother.