Abstract Background: Retained placenta poses significant surgical and hemorrhagic risks, influencing 1%–3% of births. Because it relaxes the uterus, a nitric oxide donor substance called nitroglycerin (NTG) has gained attention as a possible treatment. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of sublingual NTG versus placebo in the treatment of retained placenta. Materials and Methods: A single-blind randomized controlled study was carried out at Babylon Teaching Hospital for Maternity and Children, Babylon, Iraq. A group of 50 females who had a definite retained placenta was assigned to receive either a placebo ( n = 25) or 1 mg of sublingual NTG ( n = 25). The main outcome was successful placental delivery without the need for surgery. Inside the delivery room, blood pressure, heart rate, blood loss, and side effects were the indicators for secondary outcomes. Results: Compared with the placebo group (20%), the NTG-treated group had considerably higher effective placental detachment rates (72%; P = 0.001). There were no appreciable variations in blood loss or placental detachment time across the groups. Compared with the placebo group (8%), those who took NTG (56%) experienced headaches much more frequently ( P = 0.0002). Conclusion: If sublingual NTG is used to treat retained placenta, it may be more successful than a placebo, although there is a higher chance of headaches. More studies are required to validate these results in more extensive multicenter trials.
Jasim et al. (Thu,) studied this question.