Postoperative Cesarean Section Outcomes Following Standardized Oxytocin Dosing: Rule of Three’s

Abstract

Problem & Purpose: Currently there is no standardized guidelines for the administration of oxytocin during a cesarean section to prevent uterine atony, which has led to anesthesia providers administering varying doses of oxytocin to prevent postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Oxytocin that is delivered at high rates of infusion have been associated with myocardial depression through hypotension, tachycardia, and myocardial ischemia. The literature has shown that the use of regimental low dosed oxytocin like the “Rule of Three’s” improves its efficacy. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project is to overcome the lack of standardization with the delivery of oxytocin during a cesarean section by developing a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for low dose oxytocin administration following the “Rule of Three’s” algorithm. This manuscript will highlight the development with a primary concentration on the post-cesarean section oxytocin administration. Methods: The CPG was developed through 4 phases. The first phase involved stakeholder recruitment along with the development of the CPG using the AGREE II tool to evaluate it. During the second phase the CPG was appraised by the chief anesthesiologist for initial approval. The third phase consisted of a formal presentation to the anesthesia staff that was based on oxytocin management. A Provider Feedback Questionnaire (PFQ) was used to evaluate providers response to CPG. During the fourth stage, approval for the use the CPG was granted by the chief anesthesiologist for use. The data was analyze confidentially using both inferential and descriptive statistics. Results: The CPG was assessed using the AGREE II Tool resulting in an overall average of 93%, which was indicative of a high-quality guideline recommended for clinical use at the facility. The PFQ (n=12) assessed the CPG’s quality, acceptance, applicability, value, and outcome had an overall agreement of 80.7%. Conclusion: The “Rule of Three’s” was proven to be the optimal dosing regimen during cesarean section and throughout the postoperative period. During the postoperative period the prevention of uterine atony is vital to reduce the incidence and severity of PPH, which is effectively achieved when using the “Rule of Three’s” CPG. A limitation of the quality improvement (QI) project was anesthesia provider were resistant to changing their practice. The next phase of the QI project will include reducing provider resistance and monitoring quantitative blood loss during surgery.