Question

Your adult female postpartum patient delivered her newborn with the assistance of her husband five minutes prior to your arrival on the scene. The infant's Apgar score is 10, and the baby seems to be fine. However, the mother continues to bleed heavily after an adequate fundal massage and encouraging the infant to breastfeed. Her current heart rate is 125 bpm; her blood pressure is 108/60, and she is breathing 22 times a minute with an SpO2 of 97.

After ensuring a second infant is not present, which of the following interventions would medical command most likely recommend?

A. Continue fundal massage, and pack the vagina with sterile ABD or trauma pads

B. Administer lactated Ringer's solution run wide open using macro-drip tubing under pressure

C. Administer a fluid bolus of 1,000 mL of normal saline, and transport the patient in the Trendelenburg position

D. Administer oxytocin infusion (1 unit per 100 mL of lactated Ringer's solution) at 20 to 30 gtts/min (micro-drip tubing) depending on bleeding severity

Answer 1

In this scenario, medical command would most likely recommend administering an oxytocin infusion to control the postpartum bleeding.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the given scenario, the mother is experiencing heavy bleeding after delivery despite attempts to control it. Medical command would most likely recommend administering an oxytocin infusion (1 unit per 100 mL of lactated Ringer's solution) at 20 to 30 gtts/min (micro-drip tubing) depending on the severity of bleeding. Oxytocin is a hormone that helps contract the uterus and control bleeding after delivery.