Defining the Effect of Oxytocin Use in Farrowing Sows on Stillbirth Rate: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis

summary of:
Defining the effect of oxytocin use in farrowing sows on stillbirth rate: A systematic review with a meta-analysis
Breeding sow and piglets in free range
Author(s):
S.V. Hill, M. Del Rocio Amezcua,E.S. Ribeiro, T.L. O’Sullivan and R.M. Friendship
Published in:
Date:
July 2022
DOI:
Type of access:

Open access

In our edition of: Oct 2022
In our categories of: farm animals

our summary:

Hill, S.V. et al. (2022) Defining the effect of oxytocin use in farrowing sows on stillbirth rate: A systematic review with a meta-analysis. Animals, 12 (14), p. 1795

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify the benefits and possible side effects of the use of oxytocin during farrowing.

A literature search was carried out on four bibliographic databases for primary studies published in English between 1970-2020. The American Association of Swine Veterinarians database was also searched for relevant reports and conference proceedings. Results were then screened for inclusion based on the study’s population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and design. Following screening, 58 studies remained, and of these, 11 cross-sectional studies and one cohort study were not further processed, leaving 46 clinical trials eligible for data collection.

Only 25 studies had sufficient information to be used in a meta-analysis. This pooled analysis showed that the average number of stillborn pigs was lower in the comparator group compared to the oxytocin group. Both farrowing duration and the birth interval between piglets were shorter in the oxytocin group compared to the comparator.

There was heterogeneity between the studies with a lack of consistency in the results due to variation in the usage of oxytocin, including dosages, timing, and routes of administration. Using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised studies of interventions, 91% of the studies had an overall risk of bias of ‘some concerns’.

Take Home

This systematic review provides some evidence of the benefits and possible side effects of the use of oxytocin during farrowing. Further research is encouraged on the use of oxytocin, including dosages and the route and timing of administration.

Claiming CPD for reading inFOCUS articles

Reading and reflecting on articles can count towards your CPD, and we have a template to help you with the process.

Image copyright attribute: wolterbernd

Join the discussion

We encourage discussion on all material highlighted in each edition of inFOCUS. Use the button below to join the conversation on Twitter and include your comment in the feed for this issue.

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.