Efficacy of Hyoscine Butyl Bromide in Shortening Duration of Labor in Nulliparous Women: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

A bstract Background: Various agents have been used to accelerate the rate of cervical dilatation with subsequent reduction in the duration of labor, thus preventing prolonged labor. Objectives: To determine the efficacy of hyoscine butyl bromide in reducing the duration of labor in nulliparous women at term. Materials and Methods: This was a double blind randomized controlled study conducted among nulliparous women presenting in the active phase of labor at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria over a 6-month period. There were 174 participants, among whom 86 received the test drug (intervention group) and 88 received placebo (control group). A P value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean duration of labor in the 1st stage was 222.45 ± 119.8 min for participants who received hyoscine and 282.50 ± 130.5 min for participants who received placebo only, and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.02). The rate of cervical dilatation was significantly faster in women who received hyoscine (2.3 ± 2.8 cm/h) than in those who received placebo (1.7 ± 2.7 cm per hour; P = 0.01). The mean duration of labor in the second stage for the intervention and control groups was 36.67 ± 17.2 and 36.12 ± 17.1, respectively ( P = 0.02). The maternal and neonatal adverse events including nausea, vomiting, and birth asphyxia were similar in both groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusion: Hyoscine butyl bromide was effective in shortening the first stage of labor by accelerating cervical dilatation and had no associated adverse feto-maternal outcome. The Clinical Trial registration number is PACTR202409867055348.