TITLE:
Impact of Epidural Analgesia in Labour on Neonatal and Maternal Outcomes
AUTHORS:
Nora Tawhid Söderholm, Sahruh Turkmen
KEYWORDS:
Obstetric, Visual Analogue Scale, Maternal Satisfaction, Apgar Score, Perineal Injury, Mode of Delivery, Foetal Blood Gases
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.8 No.9,
August
1,
2018
ABSTRACT: Aim: To
evaluate the effect of epidural analgesia during labour on neonatal-maternal outcomes. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of nulliparous parturients who gave birth in
Vasternorrland County, Sweden, over a 2-year period between 2015 and 2016.
Neonatal outcomes (Apgar score at 5 min and umbilical cord arterial blood
gases), maternal outcomes (perineal injury, total bleeding volume and maternal
satisfaction with birth) and labour parameters (mode of delivery and the
durations of labour and postpartum hospital stay) were evaluated. Results: The
study cohort consisted of 1449 women with singleton pregnancies. Patients were
divided into two groups according to whether during labour they were
administered epidural analgesia using bupivacaine and sufentanil (EDA group, n
= 615) or not (non-EDA group, n = 834). The rate of assisted vaginal delivery
was significantly higher in the EDA group than in the non-EDA group (15.6% and
11.3%, respectively, p Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that
EDA affects delivery and neonatal-maternal outcomes negatively, but increases the mother’s satisfaction
with labour.