Epidural analgesia for labor pain.

Evidence-Based Answer Compared with other types of analgesia or no analgesia, epidurals offered better pain relief, but were associated with a longer second stage of labor and increased risk of instrumental vaginal delivery, maternal fever, and oxytocin (Pitocin) administration. There were no statistically significant differences in overall rates of cesarean delivery, Apgar scores, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, and maternal satisfaction. Few studies evaluated epidural analgesia in induced labors.1 (Strength of Recommendation: A, based on consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence.)