Biomaterial Database

Randomized comparison of oral terbutaline and ritodrine for preventing recurrent preterm labor. 1989

J N Kopelman, and P Duff, and J A Read

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington.

We compared oral ritodrine and terbutaline for the prevention of recurrent preterm labor. Women between 20 and 35 weeks' gestation who successfully completed a course of intravenous tocolysis were eligible for inclusion. One hundred two patients were randomized to oral ritodrine (20 mg every four hours) or oral terbutaline (5 mg every four hours). The groups showed no significant differences with respect to recognized risk factors for preterm labor or prognostic factors for the failure of tocolysis. Initial treatment failures occurred more frequently in the ritodrine group (nine vs. two, P = .0527). There were no statistically significant differences in the treatment results or frequency of side effects. We conclude that ritodrine appears to be less effective than terbutaline upon the initiation of oral therapy and that oral ritodrine and terbutaline are equivalent in safety and efficacy when used on a long-term basis for preventing recurrent preterm labor.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007752	Obstetric Labor, Premature	Onset of OBSTETRIC LABOR before term (TERM BIRTH) but usually after the FETUS has become viable. In humans, it occurs sometime during the 29th through 38th week of PREGNANCY. TOCOLYSIS inhibits premature labor and can prevent the BIRTH of premature infants (INFANT, PREMATURE).	Preterm Labor,Labor, Premature,Premature Labor,Premature Obstetric Labor,Labor, Premature Obstetric,Labor, Preterm
D011247	Pregnancy	The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.	Gestation,Pregnancies
D011446	Prospective Studies	Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.	Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D011897	Random Allocation	A process involving chance used in therapeutic trials or other research endeavor for allocating experimental subjects, human or animal, between treatment and control groups, or among treatment groups. It may also apply to experiments on inanimate objects.	Randomization,Allocation, Random
D012008	Recurrence	The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission.	Recrudescence,Relapse,Recrudescences,Recurrences,Relapses
D002986	Clinical Trials as Topic	Works about pre-planned studies of the safety, efficacy, or optimum dosage schedule (if appropriate) of one or more diagnostic, therapeutic, or prophylactic drugs, devices, or techniques selected according to predetermined criteria of eligibility and observed for predefined evidence of favorable and unfavorable effects. This concept includes clinical trials conducted both in the U.S. and in other countries.	Clinical Trial as Topic
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000284	Administration, Oral	The giving of drugs, chemicals, or other substances by mouth.	Drug Administration, Oral,Administration, Oral Drug,Oral Administration,Oral Drug Administration,Administrations, Oral,Administrations, Oral Drug,Drug Administrations, Oral,Oral Administrations,Oral Drug Administrations
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults