OBJECTIVE To estimate the effects of combined spinal-epidural and traditional epidural analgesia on uterine basal tone and its association with the occurrence of fetal heart rate (FHR) abnormalities. METHODS Seventy-seven laboring patients who requested pain relief during labor were randomly assigned to combined spinal-epidural (n=41) or epidural analgesia (n=36). Uterine contractions and FHR...

CONTEXT Epidural labor analgesia, if selected by the patient, is associated with high cesarean delivery rates. Results of randomized trials comparing rates of cesarean delivery using epidural anesthesia vs parenteral opioids are inconsistent. OBJECTIVE To review the effects of epidural vs parenteral opioid analgesia on cesarean delivery rates. DATA SOURCES Studies were identified by searchi...

background and purpose: this study was designed in order to compare the effects of spinal and epidural analgesia on labour and also several maternal and fetal factors in vaginal delivery. materials and methods: the study was a randomized clinical trail and participatnts were 120 gravid 1 and gravid 2 women in the active phase of delivery, admitted to the labour room of fatemieh hospital in hame...

This study was carried out to assess the awareness, perceptions, acceptance, and the level of utilization of epidural analgesia in relation to other methods of labor pain relief among prospective parturient attending the ante-natal clinic in south eastern Nigeria. Women attending the ante-natal clinic were interviewed using interviewer administered questionnaires containing both open and closed...

OBJECTIVE To determine women's satisfaction with pain relief using patient controlled analgesia with remifentanil compared with epidural analgesia during labour. DESIGN Multicentre randomised controlled equivalence trial. SETTING 15 hospitals in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS Women with an intermediate to high obstetric risk with an intention to deliver vaginally. To exclude a clinically r...

BACKGROUND The association between epidural analgesia for labor and the risk of cesarean section for dystocia remains controversial The authors hypothesized that if epidural analgesia were an important factor in determining cesarean section rates, then obstetricians with higher rates of utilization of epidural analgesia for labor would have higher rates of cesarean section for dystocia. METHO...

OBJECTIVE To review the impact of epidural vs systemic analgesia on postoperative pulmonary complications. DATA SOURCES Search of databases (1966 to March 2006) and bibliographies. STUDY SELECTION Inclusion criteria were randomized comparison of epidural vs systemic analgesia lasting 24 hours or longer postoperatively and reporting of pulmonary complications, lung function, or gas exchange....

background: conduction analgesia is one of the most effective routes for relief of labor pain. combined spinal epidural analgesia may cause less maternal and neonatal complications. these study aimed to investigate the effects of combined spinal epidural analgesia on progress of labor delivery and related complications. methods: in a randomized clinical trial study 220 women in spontaneous labo...

Epidural analgesia has widespread use in infants and children for postoperative pain management and for certain chronic pain conditions such as cancer pain and complex regional pain syndrome. While epidurals can provide excellent analgesia in pediatric patients, they do require specific expertise in both the techniques of placement and in the management. Pediatric-specific protocols and guideli...

Several strategies and alternative therapies have been used to provide analgesia for labour pain. Over the last few years, a number of improvements have enhanced the efficacy and safety of neuraxial analgesia and ultimately have improved mothers' satisfaction with their birth experience. As labour analgesia is a field of obstetric anaesthesia that is rapidly evolving, this review is an update, ...