Administration Of Calcium Gluconate for The Reduction of Blood Loss During Elective Cesarean Delivery

After signing a consent form prior to the surgery (at the pre-operative assessment), At the third stage of labor, women who gave their consent to participate in the study will get either 10 ml of Calcium Gluconate 10% solution (containing 0.94 gr of calcium gluconate) diluted in 100 ml of normal saline IV or 110 ml of normal saline IV. The solutions will be given in addition to Carbetocin (a long acting oxytocin analogue), in both arms. The invastigators will use calcium gluconate during even-numbered months and normal saline during odd-numbered months, or vice versa, according to randomization that will be known to the primary researcher alone. A blood sample will be drawn at the beginning of the surgery and sent for blood gas analysis, determining ionized calcium levels and coagulation profile. Women with hypocalcemia or hypercalcemia will be excluded from the trial. Only patients with normal calcium levels between 1.0-1.3 mmol/L will be included in this trial. An ECG strip will be done prior to the surgery, making sure that the patient doesn't suffer from a QT segment abnormality. All patients will be monitored with a 3 lead- ECG prior, during, and 2 hours following calcium administration. Patients with QT interval abnormalities will be excluded from the trial. After the surgery, a blood sample will be drawn and sent to blood gas analysis (determining ionized calcium levels) and for coagulation profile. A complete blood count will be routinely taken for all women the next day. The hemoglobin level will be compared to the hemoglobin level prior to CD. Decreased mean hemoglobin drop is the primary outcome. the secondary outcomes are described below. After the primary analysis we will perform a subgroup analysis, determine whether women with high risk for PPH (such as overdistended uterus, abnormal placentation, myomatous uterus, grand multiparty, coagulation disorder, etc.) may benefit from the intervention more than the general population of all participants.