Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Apr;15(2):71-7.

The Effects of Glyceryl Trinitrate Patch on the Treatment of Preterm Labor: A Single-blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Anisodowleh Nankali  1 , Parnian Kord Jamshidi  1 , Mansour Rezaei  2
Affiliations

The Effects of Glyceryl Trinitrate Patch on the Treatment of Preterm Labor: A Single-blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Anisodowleh Nankali et al. J Reprod Infertil. 2014 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Preterm labor (PTL) is one of the main causes of neonatal mortality and morbidity. PTL leads to serious complications especially in the gestational age prior to 24-26 weeks. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) patch on the treatment and complications of PTL.

Methods: In this clinical trial, 84 singleton pregnant women with gestational age of 27-35 weeks were surveyed. PTL was clinically diagnosed and the patients were randomly divided into two groups who were treated with GTN or placebo for 48 hr. The consequences, complications and changes in some parameters in both groups were compared. Data were analyzed with chi square test, paired and unpaired t tests by SPSS software and p<0.05 was considered significant.

Results: No significant difference was observed between two groups in terms of successful tocolysis, receiving full dose of corticosteroids and the mean prolongation of the pregnancy. However, delivery times in patients who delivered during the hospitalization were 31±4.4 and 18.3±2.2 hr (p=0.01), respectively. Headache was more severe in control group (p=0.007). The systolic and mean arterial blood pressure decrease (p<0.001) and maternal heart rate increase (p=0.01) were significant in GTN group. The changes of vital signs were not significant in placebo group.

Conclusion: The effect of GTN in the treatment of PTL is similar to the placebo without any serious complication. However, GTN delays the delivery time in delivery during the primary hospitalization. Thus, further studies with larger sample size are needed to evaluate the exact effects of GTN on PTL.

Keywords: Glyceryl trinitrate patch; Obstetric labor; Premature; Tocolysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. James D, Steer P, Weiner C, Gonik B, Crowther C, Robson S. High risk pregnancy management option. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders; 2011. pp. 457–69.
    1. Cunningham F, Leveno K, Bloom S, Hauth J, Rouse D, Spong C. Williams Obstetrics. 23rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill; 2009. pp. 804–32.
    1. Smith GN, Walker MC, Ohlsson A, O'Brien K, Windrim R. Randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial of transdermal nitroglycerin for preterm labor. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007;196(1):37. - PubMed
    1. Children's Health [Internet] Nitroglycerin patch show promise for premature labor; NIH: US National library of medicine; 2007. 2011 Jan 27 [cited 2013 Nov 11]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://health.Usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070201/1health.earlylabo....
    1. Leszczynska-Gorzelak B, Laskowska M, Marciniak B, Oleszczuk J. Nitric oxide for treatment of threatened preterm labor. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2001;73(3):201–6. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources