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Oxytocin is commonly administered for labor induction, but dosing regimens vary widely. In a retrospective observational study, investigators for the Consortium on Safe Labor assessed labor duration and perinatal outcomes in 15,054 women who received high- or low-dose oxytocin at six U.S. hospitals (none of which had specific protocols for active management of labor). Women were grouped by initial oxytocin dose (1, 2, or 4 milliunits/minute). Perinatal outcomes were compared by starting dose using composite indices for the three groups. Data were stratified by parity (nulliparous or multiparous) and adjusted for maternal age, race or ethnicity, and other potential confounders.
Starting doses of 1, 2, and 4 milliunits/minute were used in 2691…