Uterine Tetany and Oxytocin — NCLEX Cheat Sheet
Stop the Pitocin first
👤 By the CinnaRN Clinical Content Team
🕐 Updated 2026-09-05
🏷️ Pharmacological Therapies
🔖 Free to read, print, and share
💡
Use this quick-reference guide to spot, treat, and prevent Uterine Tetany and Oxytocin on the NCLEX. Keep it handy during review and on exam day!
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📒 The 1-minute cheat sheet
📌 What Counts As Tetany
- Contractions longer than 90 seconds
- Closer together than every 2 minutes
- No full relaxation between them
✅ What To Do — In Order
- STOP the oxytocin
- Turn to the LEFT side
- Increase the plain IV fluid
- Oxygen by mask 8-10 L
- Notify the provider
✅ Timing A Contraction
- Frequency: start of one to the start of the next
- Duration: start to end of one
- Intensity: palpated at the fundus
🩺 Watch For
- Uterine rupture — pain then contractions STOP
- Water intoxication on long infusions
✨Quick Tip
Focus on the highlighted numbers and the red-flag items — those are what the NCLEX tests most on uterine tetany and oxytocin.
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