Efficacy and safety of double balloon catheter and dinoprostone for labor induction in multipara at term

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to comparatively assess the efficacy and safety of double balloon catheter (DBC) and dinoprostone and as labor-inducing agents for multipara at term. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among multipara at term with a Bishop score <6 who needed planned labor induction from January 1, 2020, to December 30, 2020 in Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei province, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. They were divided into DBC group and dinoprostone group respectively according to the method of labor induction. Baseline maternal data and perinatal outcomes were recorded for statistical analysis. Total vaginal delivery rate, rate of vaginal delivery within 24 h, rate of uterine hyperstimulation combined with abnormal fetal heart rate(FHR) and rate of fetal distress were regarded as the primary outcome variables. The diffrerence between groups was considered statistically significant when p value <0.05. Results: A total of 202 pregnant women was included for analysis (95 women in DBC group vs 107 women in dinoprostone group). There were no significant differences in total vaginal delivery rate and rate of vaginal delivery within 24 h between groups (93.7% vs 86.9% and 75.8% vs 71%, p ＞0.05). Uterine hyperstimulation combined with abnormal FHR occurred exclusively in dinoprostone group (0% vs 5.6%, p ＜0.05). The rate of amniotic fluid fecal staining and prenatal fever in dinoprostone group was higher than in DBC group ( p ＜0.05). There was no significant difference in the rate of fetal distress between in the two groups (4.2% vs 10.3%, p ＞0.05). Both groups were similar in neonatal outcomes including birth weight, neonatal asphyxia and neonatal intensive care unit admission (NICU). Conclusions: DBC and dinoprostone seem to be equally effective in labor induction for multipara at term, and DBC seems to be safer than dinoprostone during induction in multipara at term as it causes lower rate of uterine hyperstimulation combined with abnormal FHR.