A Trial of Intravenous Fluids During Labor

Overview

The purpose of this study is to determine if intrapartum use of a glucose-containing solution will improve the outcomes in pregnant women and their babies.

This will be a multi-center, prospective, single-blind randomized trial of two types of IV fluids for maintenance hydration during labor. This study will be conducted at 4 sites: Reading (Reading Hospital), Allentown (Lehigh Valley), St. Luke Hospital and Hershey (Penn State College of Medicine). It will include 1524 pregnant women at ≥ 36 weeks presenting in spontaneous labor for anticipated delivery. The primary research hypothesis is that intravenous hydration during labor with a glucose-containing fluid will lead to more efficient uterine contractility and will lead to a reduction of cesarean delivery. The primary outcome measure is the occurrence of a cesarean birth during the study period. The primary analysis will use an intent-to-treat approach to examine differences between the two IV fluid treatments in the proportion of deliveries requiring cesarean section.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (4)

Outcomes