A randomized controlled trial on the value of misoprostol for the treatment of retained placenta in a low-resource setting.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of misoprostol among patients with retained placenta in a low-resource setting.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was carried out in Tanzania between April 2008 and November 2011. It included patients who delivered at a gestational age of 28 weeks or more and had blood loss of 750 mL or less at 30 minutes after delivery.

Treatment of retained placenta with misoprostol: a randomised controlled trial in a low-resource setting (Tanzania).

Background: Retained placenta is one of the common causes of maternal mortality in developing countries where access to appropriate obstetrical care is limited. Current treatment of retained placenta is manual removal of the placenta under anaesthesia, which can only take place in larger health care facilities. Medical treatment of retained placenta with prostaglandins E1 (misoprostol) could be cost-effective and easy-to-use and could be a life-saving option in many low-resource settings.