Describe the mechanism of action, and side effects of THREE (3) classes of drugs that are used to increase uterine tone and THREE (3) classes of drugs used to decrease uterine tone.
Candidates often appeared to have a sufficient awareness of the choice of drugs (e.g.
oxytocin analogues, ergot alkaloids, beta-receptor agonists, calcium channel blockers, etc.),
but then failed to produce sufficient depth of knowledge to adequately describe their
mechanisms of action in respect to uterine tone. Candidates are reminded that if asked to mention side effects, mentioning side effects of greatest relevance to intensive care (e.g.
bronchospasm) in addition to the more generic side effects (e.g. rash)