There
is a simple, safe and inexpensive method for speeding delivery in women who are in prolonged labour: Add dextrose to the intravenous saline solution. Prolonged labor can be dangerous for both mother and child, but there are a limited number of proven methods for speeding the process. Canadian researchers theorized that injecting dextrose, a simple sugar, during labor might improve muscle performance, leading to speedier delivery. The study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology assigned 193 first-time mothers to either regular IV saline or a look-alike bag of saline supplemented by a solution of 5% dextrose. Total duration of labor in the dextrose group was, on average, 76 mins shorter than in the saline group. There was no difference in the mode of delivery between the two groups — unassisted or cesarean — and no differences in any measure of the baby’s or mother’s health. The dextrose solution is not often used, but the lead author, Dr Josianne Paré, feels it should be. “It’s the same price, and there are no side effects,’’ she said.