To retain placenta

All these substances have the function of promoting blood circulation and stopping bleeding. They are particularly used when the bleeding is caused by obstruction of congealed blood, such as in menorrhagia caused by hysteromyoma, and heavy bleeding due to retained placenta after labor. 

Nitrous oxide appears to have little effect on uterine musculature. However, the halogenated anesthetics are potent uterine muscle relaxants and produce this effect in a concentration-dependent fashion. This pharmacologic effect can be used to advantage when profound uterine relaxation is required for an intrauterine fetal manipulation or manual extraction of a retained placenta during delivery. However, it can also lead to increased uterine bleeding. 

The treatment of retained placenta often includes i.m. oxytocin at a low dose (20 lU) every 30 min on six occasions (S. Vivrette, unpublished data, 2001) or a higher dose (up to 120 lU) every 90 to 120 min. Alternatively, oxytocin can be used... 

Mares undergoing treatment for retained placenta should have been vaccinated against tetanus within the past year. Mares that have been vaccinated adequately against tetanus but not at the time of foaling should be given tetanus toxoid to ensure sufficient protection. The routine administration of tetanus antitoxin to mares at foaling has been associated with the development of fatal hepatic necrosis (Theiler s disease). 

Three Hemandia species, namely, H. moerenhoutiana, H. nymphaeifolia (a synonym of H. peltata according to Kubitzki [2]), and H. voyronii, have been used ethnobotanically by inhabitants of Tonga and Madagascar to treat malaria [11,12], postpartum hemorrhage [13], retained placenta [13], and morning sickness [14],... 

Increases in the baseline tone and spontaneous, rhythmic, myogenic contractions of estrogen-dominated rat uterine muscle strips were observed after treatment with an aqueous extract of devil s claw. Effective concentrations were 10 to 800 pg/ml. The authors noted that the activity was consistent with traditional use for induction or acceleration of labor, or for expulsion of retained placentas (Mahomed and Ojewole 2006). 

A report of 37,497 women who delivered in the UK in 1988 showed that in addition to the well-known risk factors to major PPH, other potential risks were obesity, a large baby, and a retained placenta in women classified initially as low risk [27]. The most common cause of PPH is uterine atony. It occurs in 2%-5% of deliveries. However, the majority is managed by conservative measures. Other causes of PPH are retained products of conception. 

Of all the models, the ex vivo perfused placenta most closely resembles the in vivo situation, because it retains the placental organization. It has been used to estimate drug transport across the placenta [23, 24], The cotyledon is the anatomical unit of the placenta and at term, the human placenta contains about 20-30 cotyledons. In the perfused placenta technique, term placentas are... 

In a study of maternal drug use by Kintz and Mangin, hair samples were collected from neonates with confirmed in utero exposure to heroin. Morphine was present in all samples in a concentration range similar to previous reports based on analysis of hair from adults. Codeine was also present in aU samples, but in low concentration. Maternal hair was not tested. Urine samples were also collected and tested for opioids. Four (44%) samples were positive for morphine and 6-AM. The data indicate that drug and/or drug metabolite is transferred to the fetus through the placenta and retained in hair. 

---