Canadian researchers have found that giving nitroglycerin to women in premature labor helps to prolong pregnancy and improves the baby's health.

Using a nitro patch on pregnant women improves the baby's condition with fewer side effects than medication commonly used to stop premature labor, researchers in Queen's University have found.

The nitroglycerin patch is commonly used to calm the heart of patients with angina. During the trials, the patch was placed on the woman's skin while she was having contractions. Researchers found that the uterus, which is also a muscle, relaxed and that blood flow to the placenta was increased, causing pregnancy to be prolonged for up to three weeks.

The patch also reduced the risk of complications, such as lung disease and brain injuries, and the risk of infant deaths.

"This is a significant improvement in outcome. It reduced the chance of having a major complication by 70 percent," Graeme Smith, principal investigator in the study, told Canadian Television Monday.

The five-year randomized trial recruited 153 women at the time they went into pre-term labor.

The incident of premature birth is the leading cause of death and disability among babies worldwide. Premature births can lead to other more prolonged complications, such as learning disabilities and breathing difficulties.

Approximately 7.5 percent of all babies in Canada are born prematurely (before 37 weeks) and 1 to 2 percent are born before 34 weeks.

Source: Xinhua