Pulsatile administration of oxytocin for augmentation of labor

In a randomized study, 94 patients with term pregnancies underwent augmentation of labor with either continuous or pulsed (every 8 minutes) intravenous oxytocin infusion. There were no significant differences with respect to the maternal characteristics. Pulsatile administration of oxytocin is similar in efficacy to our standard continuous oxytocin infusion and requires a lower total amount and rate of oxytocin administered, which may afford a greater margin of safety