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Introduction: Hyoscine n-butyl-bromide is a muscarinic antagonist that exerts a smooth muscle spasmolytic effect, with demonstrated action on the cervical-uterine plexus. In the last decades, there has been controversy about the use of the drug during labor, particularly on its usefulness and safety profile.
Materials and methods: MEDLINE, TRIP database, Google Scholar, and Cochrane were searched. We reviewed 469 articles and included 20 studies, published between 2007-2022. A total of 3118 clinical trial participants and a total of 12334 deliveries were included. The included studies compared the use of the drug against a placebo (normal saline).
Results and discussion: The review allowed the evaluation of women in the active phase of labor, showing that hyoscine n-butyl-bromide is useful for reducing the first stage (mean 66.97 ± 47.17 minutes). On the other hand, the use of the drug in the second stage of labor in only three studies showed a reduction on average of 7.03± 4.37 minutes, while in the rest it did not. There was no effect in the third stage of labor. With respect to the speed of dilatation, a mean increase of 0.78 cm/h ± 0.29 cm/h was found. There were no significant maternal or neonatal side effects.
Conclusion: Hyoscine n-butyl-bromide is potentially useful in reducing the first stage of labor and is not associated with significant adverse outcomes.
