Comparison of Oxytocin versus Carbetocin in Reducing Intraoperative Bleeding during Caesarean Section: A Research Protocol for Randomised Controlled Trial planned in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Central India

Introduction: Caesarean Section (CS) is a common obstetric procedure associated with the risk of intraoperative bleeding, necessitating the use of uterotonic agents such as oxytocin and carbetocin to reduce blood loss. Need of the Study: Given the clinical significance of intraoperative bleeding during CS and the potential implications for maternal outcomes, there is a need for well-designed comparative studies. Therefore, the present study was planned to address this gap in the literature by comparing the efficacy of oxytocin and carbetocin in reducing intraoperative bleeding during CS. Aim: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of oxytocin versus carbetocin in reducing intraoperative bleeding during caesarean sections. Materials and Methods: A prospective, randomised, doubleblind controlled trial will be conducted at the Department of Anaesthesiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Sawangi (M), Wardha, Maharashtra, India from October 2024 to March 2026. One hundred female patients aged 18-35 years with American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade I and II, scheduled for CS under spinal anaesthesia, will be included in the study and divided into the oxytocin and carbetocin groups during CS. The amount of blood loss exceeding 1000 mL during CS, haemodynamic changes, the requirement for vasopressors and antifibrinolytics and the duration of surgery will be assessed between the two groups. Statistical analysis will be conducted using experimental and inferential statistics, including the Chisquare test, Student’s paired and unpaired t-tests and Tukey test, with a significance level set at p<0.05.