Butorphanol in epidural:Could this be the breakthrough solution for safe and effective labor analgesia that we've been waiting for?

The authors have conducted a comprehensive investigation into the safety and effectiveness of butorphanol for epidural analgesia during labor.Their critical analysis of the paper and discussion of the technique's advantages and disadvantages provide a thorough understanding of the topic.

Advances in epidural labor analgesia:Effectiveness and treatment strategies of butorphanol

In this editorial,we provide a critical review of the article by Tang et al published in the World J Clin Cases,focusing on the utilization of butorphanol for epidural analgesia during labor.Our discussion encompasses recent research developments in epidural labor analgesia,specifically highlighting the current status of clinical applications of butorphanol and associated treatment approaches.Epidural analgesia is widely acknowledged as the primary method for pain management during labor,offering effective and prolonged pain relief while allowing mothers to remain alert and actively participate in the delivery process.Among the various drugs utilized for epidural labor analgesia,butorphanol has received increasing attention due to its potential efficacy and distinctive pharmacological properties.As a synthetic opioid analgesic,butorphanol exhibits both agonistic and antagonistic activity on opioid receptors,striking a balance between analgesia and minimizing side effects.Nevertheless,the safety and efficacy of butorphanol in epidural labor analgesia remains controversial.While certain studies have reported positive outcomes with butorphanol,including effective pain relief and a reduced incidence of side effects,others have raised concerns about its safety and efficacy compared to traditional opioids or alternative analgesics.In addition,the optimal dosing strategy and regimen of butorphanol as an adjuvant in epidural labor analgesia still need to be verified.Through comprehensive synthesis and analysis of existing literature,we aim to evaluate the current evidence regarding the use of butorphanol for epidural labor analgesia,delineate areas of consensus and controversy,and propose future avenues for research and clinical practice in this domain.

Safety and effectiveness of butorphanol in epidural labor analgesia:A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Epidural analgesia is the most effective analgesic method during labor.Butorphanol administered epidurally has been shown to be a successful analgesic method during labor.However,no comprehensive study has examined the safety and efficacy of using butorphanol as an epidural analgesic during labor.AIM To assess butorphanol's safety and efficacy for epidural labor analgesia.METHODS The PubMed,Cochrane Library,EMBASE,Web of Science,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,and Google Scholar databases will be searched from inception.Other types of literature,such as conference abstracts and references to pertinent reviews,will also be reviewed.We will include randomized controlled trials comparing butorphanol with other opioids combined with local anesthetics for epidural analgesia during labor.There will be no language restrictions.The primary outcomes will include the visual analog scale score for the first stage of labor,fetal effects,and Apgar score.Two independent reviewers will evaluate the full texts,extract data,and assess the risk of bias.Publication bias will be evaluated using Egger's or Begg's tests as well as visual analysis of a funnel plot,and heterogeneity will be evaluated using the Cochran Q test,P values,and I2 values.Meta-analysis,subgroup analysis,and sensitivity analysis will be performed using RevMan software version 5.4.This protocol was developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA)Protocols statement,and the PRISMA statement will be used for the systematic review.RESULTS This study provides reliable information regarding the safety and efficacy of using butorphanol as an epidural analgesic during labor.CONCLUSION To support clinical practice and development,this study provides evidence-based findings regarding the safety and efficacy of using butorphanol as an epidural analgesic during labor.

Preprocedure ultrasound imaging combined with palpation technique in epidural labor analgesia

BACKGROUND For parturients with paroxysmal uterine contraction pain,rapid analgesia is needed.We used preprocedure ultrasound imaging combined with the palpation technique in epidural analgesia for labor,and evaluated the usefulness of this technique in epidural labor analgesia.AIM To evaluate the usefulness of preprocedure ultrasound imaging in epidural analgesia for labor.METHODS In this prospective randomized observational study,72 parturients were assigned to two groups(combined or palpation group).The target interspace of all parturients was first identified by the palpation technique.Then in the combined group,preprocedure ultrasound imaging was used before epidural puncture.In the palpation group,only the traditional anatomical landmarks technique(palpation technique)was performed.The primary outcome was total duration of the epidural procedure(for the ultrasound group,the duration of the preprocedure ultrasound imaging was included).The secondary outcomes were the number of skin punctures,the success rate at first needle pass,the number of needle passes,the depth from the skin to epidural space,and the complications of the procedure.RESULTS Total duration of the epidural procedure was similar between the two groups(406.5±92.15 s in the combined group and 380.03±128.2 s in the palpation group;P=0.318).A significant improvement was demonstrated for epidural puncture and catheterization in the combined group.The number of needle passes was 1.14 in the combined group and 1.72 in the palpation group(P=0.001).The number of skin puncture sites was 1.20 in the combined group and 1.25 in the palpation group(P=0.398).The success rate at first needle pass was 88.89%in the combined group and 66.67%in the palpation group(P=0.045).CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that the total duration of epidural procedures with preprocedure ultrasound imaging combined with the palpation technique was not longer than the traditional anatomical landmarks technique,which were performed by six experienced anesthesiologists in parturients with normal weights undergoing labor analgesia.

Effects of combined spinal-epidural anesthesia on anxiety,labor analgesia and motor blocks in women during natural delivery

BACKGROUND The background of this study was analgesia in natural delivery.The combined spinal-epidural anesthesia has obvious analgesic effect on the parturients in natural labor,and combined spinal-epidural anesthesia has been widely used in anesthesia for various diseases.AIM To study the effects of combined spinal-epidural anesthesia on anxiety,labor analgesia,and motor blocks in parturients during natural delivery.METHODS A total of 120 women who gave birth at Changning District Maternal and Child Health Hospital between December 2021 to December 2022 were included;a random number table approach was employed to divide the women into a control group and a joint group,with each group consisting of 60 women.The control group was given epidural anesthesia,while the joint group was given combined spinal-epidural anesthesia.The visual analog scale(VAS)was used to evaluate the degree of maternal pain.Comparisons were made between the two groups’conditions of childbirth and the duration of labor.Apgar scores were used to evaluate the status of the newborns at birth;Self-rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)and General Self-Efficacy Scale(GSES)scores,umbilical artery blood gas analysis indices and stress indices were compared between the two groups;and the frequencies of motor block and postpartum complications were analyzed.RESULTS In comparison to the control group,in the joint group,the VAS scores for the first,second,and third stages of labor were lower(P<0.05).The rates of conversion to cesarean section and postpartum blood loss in the joint group were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).No significant differences were observed in the Apgar score,the duration of the first stage of labor,or the total duration of labor between the two groups(P>0.05).The second and third stages of labor in the joint group were shorter than those in the control group(P<0.05).When compared to the control group,the postpartum SAS score of the joint group was lower,while the GSES score was greater(P<0.05).Between the control group and the joint group,the differences observed in pH,arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure,arterial oxygen partial pressure,or arterial hydrogen ion concentration were not significant(P>0.05).Nitric oxide,cortisol,and adrenaline levels were lower in the joint group than in the control group(P<0.05).There were no substantial differences in Bromage grade or rate of complications between the two groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION For parturients during natural delivery,combined spinal-epidural anesthesia can reduce anxiety,provide labor analgesia,shorten labor time,and reduce postoperative stress levels but did not result in a motor block.

Women’s Awareness and Attitudes towards Labor Analgesia Influencing Practice between Developed and Developing Countries

Childbirth experience is one of the most intense pain that majority of women will endure during their lifetime. Concerns about pain in labor remain a hot topic, and its popularity gets more common day by day as more women become aware of their rights to achieve a better quality of care during labor. There are various non-pharmacologic (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, hydrotherapy, intradermal water injections and acupuncture) and pharmacologic treatments (nitrous oxide, opioids and regional analgesia techniques: spinal, epidural and combined epidural analgesia) available today. Among these, epidural analgesia offers the most effective form of pain relief and is considered to be the gold standard of labor analgesia. Despite having labor analgesic services, most women still go through painful labor due to lack of knowledge regarding it, particularly in developing countries. The main source of information regarding pain reliefs is from friends and relatives, revealing the lack of information from caregiver’s side. So this study reflects that there is a wide gap in the communication between pregnant women and obstetricians. It supports the fact that obstetricians through the practice of routinely offering labor analgesia can significantly improve the maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnancy. Provision of standardized epidural analgesia information at an appropriate time in their pregnancy may benefit them by the practice of mutual decision-making. Thus, it may prevent women from making a difficult choice of cesarean section to avoid the fear of painful labor.

Effects of labor analgesia on maternal and neonatal outcome by epidural low concentration of bupivacaine combined with anisodamine

Objective To observe the effects of labor analgesia on maternal and neonatal outcome by epidural application of 0.125% bupivacaine combined with anisodamine on the labor stage, and modes of delivery and neonatal Apgar’s score. Methods A total of 220 primiparaes with full-term pregnancy, monocyesis and fetal head presentation without any obstetrical or systematic complications were chosen and divided into analgesic group and control group (110 in each group). The mixture of bupivacaine and anisodamine was injected into the epidural space of the parturients in the analgesic group while those patients in the control group did not receive any analgesics. Results The analgesic effect was satisfactory (91.8%), and no side effects occurred in the second stage of labor. The instrument delivery rate was lower in the analgesic group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups in neonatal Apgar’s score. Conclusion The method is feasible in clinic for labor pain relief without increasing the rate of dystocia and complications of delivery.

Effects of Different Modes of Labor Analgesia on Neonatal Neurobehavior

The term “painless delivery” originated from foreign countries and has a history of more than 100 years. It is actually called “childbirth analgesia” in medicine. Labor analgesia, as its name implies, is the use of various methods to reduce or even eliminate the pain during labor. With the development of anesthesiology and pain, it has been widely used in foreign countries, especially in some developed countries in the West. The rate of labor analgesia in the United States is > 85%, and even as high as 90% in Britain. The best childbirth analgesia should include side effect is small to puerpera and fetus, exact analgesic effect, quick effect, maintain time is long, can satisfy normal labor course;puerpera is awake, can cooperate childbirth and do not affect uterine contraction, and do not affect labor course progress. In 2000, WHO proposed that medical institutions should provide various labor analgesic services for parturient women to reduce labor pain as much as possible. Encourage the use of non-pharmaceutical analgesic techniques. In this paper, the effects of different modes of labor analgesia on neonates are described as follows.

A systematic Review of the Safety and Effectiveness of Epidural Analgesia for Labor Analgesia

Objective To re-evaluate the systematic review of the safety and effectiveness of epidural analgesia(EA)for labor analgesia.Methods The Cochrane database,PubMed,EMBASE,EBSCO,Web of Science,ScienceDirect,China Biomedical Literature database,CNKI,Wanfang and VIP databases were searched,and the search time was limited to August 2020.Two researchers screened the literature and extracted data according to the inclusion criteria.AMSTAR was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies.Pain intensity and pain relief satisfaction were used as the main indicators for re-evaluation of the effectiveness.Midwifery rate,cesarean section rate,back pain,fever,nausea and vomiting,umbilical artery pH value,and newborn Apgar score were used as the main indicators to re-evaluate the safety.Results and Conclusion A total of 9 meta-analyses were included.The safety and effectiveness of EA and opioid intravenous analgesia,acupuncture stimulation,inhalation analgesia,no analgesia,and continuous delivery were evaluated separately.The included systematic reviews showed that EA could increase the rate of device-assisted delivery,causing maternal fever,and prolonging the first and second stages of labor.But the incidence of back pain,nausea,and vomiting was lower.Therefore,analgesia had a good effect with better satisfactory degree.Current evidence shows that EA is safe and effective for labor analgesia,but the quality of the reports of current studies is not high.

Comparison between 0.06% and 0.1% Levobupivacaine Combined with 2 μg/mL of Fentanyl for Epidural Labor Analgesia

Purpose: Levobupivacaine is thought to be a good alternative to bupivacaine for epidural labor analgesia because of its pharmacologic profile. However, the optimal concentration of levobupivacaine for labor analgesia has not been adequately studied. The objective of this retrospective study was to compare the analgesic effect of levobupivacaine between 0.06% and 0.1% both combined with 2 μg/mL of fentanyl. Methods: Primiparous women (ASA I, II) who delivered their babies to our hospital using combined spinal epidural analgesia and patient-controlled epidural analgesia between August 1, 2011 and September 30, 2011 were included into this retrospective study. The analgesic solution for epidural administration was 0.06% levobupivacaine with 2 μg/mL of fentanyl between August 1 and 31, and 0.1% levobupivacaine with 2 μg/mL of fentanyl between September 1 and 30. Their anesthetic and obstetric charts were reviewed to compare obstetric outcome, anesthetic intervention, and patients’ satisfaction. Results: There were 46 women fulfilling the inclusion criteria: 23 women in 0.06% group, and 23 women in 0.1% group. The number of patients who needed more than 3 requests for one actual bolus was significantly higher in the 0.06% group (P 0.05). Conclusion: Our results revealed that 0.06% levobupivacaine combined with 2 μg/mL fentanyl does not provide sufficient analgesic effects for epidural labor analgesia. It seems that levobupivacaine has not been adequately studied after its withdrawal from the US market. Further studies should be conducted to determine the optimal concentration of levobupivacaine for epidural labor analgesia.

Efficacy and safety of different doses of ropivacaine + sufentanil for epidural labor analgesia

Objective:To study the efficacy and safety of different doses of ropivacaine and sufentanil for epidural labor analgesia.Methods: The primiparae with single birth and cephalic presentation who underwent vaginal delivery in Chengde Maternal and Child Health Hospital between March 2015 and February 2018 were selected and randomly divided into the group A who received subarachnoid injection of sufentanil 4 μg, the group B who received injection of sufentanil 4 μg + ropivacaine 2 mg and the group C who received injection of sufentanil 4 μg+ ropivacaine 3 mg. During childbirth, serum was collected at the first, second and third stages of labor respectively to detect the secretion of pain mediators and oxidative stress mediators;after childbirth, the placenta was collected to determine the expression of stress molecules. Results: At first, second and third stages of labor, serum SP, DYN, NE, PGE2, TNF-α, COR, AT-II and MDA secretion of group B and group C were significantly lower than those of group A whereas SOD and GSH-Px secretion were significantly higher than those of group A, and serum SP, DYN, NE, PGE2, TNF-α, COR, AT-II and MDA secretion of group C were significantly lower than those of group B whereas SOD and GSH-Px secretion were significantly higher than those of group B;after childbirth, GRP78, CHOP, Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA expression in placenta of group B and group C were significantly lower than those of group A whereas Bcl-2 mRNA expression were significantly higher than that of group A, and GRP78, CHOP, Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA expression in placenta of group C were significantly lower than those of group B whereas Bcl-2 mRNA expression was significantly higher than that of group B.Conclusion: The analgesic effect of sufentanil 4 μg + ropivacaine 3 mg for epidural labor analgesia is the most significant.

Evaluating the Role of Measuring the Perineal Length as a Predictor of Progress of Labor and Obstetrical Trauma

Objective: Evaluating the effect of perineal length on the duration of the second stage of labor, the mode of delivery, the need for episiotomy and the possibility of perineal and vaginal tears needing repair. Participants and Methods: It is a prospective hospital-based observational study done on 483 parturient women in a university hospital. Personal, medical and obstetric data together with the measurement of perineal length were recorded in the first stage of labor. We followed up the progress of labor until delivery. Regression models were used to consider possible risk factors of episiotomy or tears needed repair. Results: The mean duration of the second stage of labor was significantly longer among women with a perineum of ≥4 cm length when compared with those with a perineal length of Conclusion: Longer perineum is associated with increase in the duration of the second stage of labor. Obstetricians should expect the need of episiotomy when confronted with circumcised primigravida with long perineum. However, if the perineum is short they should not be deceived, short perineum is more probably torn.

Efficacy of low-dose fentanyl and ropivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for labor analgesia

Objective: To study the efficacy of low-dose fentanyl and ropivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for labor analgesia. Methods: Puerperae who underwent vaginal delivery under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for labor analgesia in Lincheng People's Hospital between June 2014 and March 2017 were selected and randomly divided into three groups, group A received 15 μg small-dose fentanyl and ropivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for labor analgesia, group B received 25 μg large-dose fentanyl and ropivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for labor analgesia, and group C received ropivacaine epidural anesthesia alone for labor analgesia. During delivery, the serum in the second stage of labor was collected to determine the contents of pain transmitters, inflammatory cytokines and stress response indexes. Results: During delivery, serum SP, 5-HT, DA, NE, DYN, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, PGE2, Cor, C-P, MDA and AOPP contents of group A and group B were lower than those of group C and serum SP, 5-HT, DA, NE, DYN, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, PGE2, Cor, C-P, MDA and AOPP contents of group A were not significantly different from those of group B. Conclusion: 15 μg small-dose fentanyl and ropivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for labor analgesia is with exact efficacy and good safety.

Evaluation of the efficacy of ropivacaine combined with sufentanil and ropivacaine alone for epidural labor analgesia

Objective: To study the efficacy of ropivacaine combined with sufentanil and ropivacaine alone for epidural labor analgesia. Methods: Primiparae who received vaginal delivery under epidural analgesia in Ankang People's Hospital between March 2015 and February 2017 were selected and randomly divided into accepting the group A who received ropivacaine combined with sufentanil for epidural analgesia and the group B who received ropivacaine alone for epidural analgesia. During the first, the second and the third stage of labor, the serum was collected to determine the levels of pain mediators SP, 5-HT and PGE2 as well as stress hormones NE, E, F-C, AT-II and INS;after delivery, the placenta tissue was collected to determine the expression of stress molecules GRP78, CHOP, Nrf-2 and ARE. Results: Serum SP, 5-HT, PGE2, NE, E, F-C, AT-II and INS levels of group A during the first, the second and the third stage of labor were significantly lower than those of group B;GRP78, CHOP, Nrf-2 and ARE mRNA expression in placental tissue of group A after delivery were significantly lower than those of group B. Conclusion: ropivacaine combined with sufentanil for epidural labor analgesia is more effective than ropivacaine alone in reducing pain and inhibiting stress response.

Effect of ropivacaine combined with sufentanil epidural labor analgesia on pain neurotransmitters as well as cytokine production and stress hormone secretion

Objective: To discuss the effect of ropivacaine combined with sufentanil epidural labor analgesia on pain neurotransmitters as well as cytokine production and stress hormone secretion. Methods: A total of 218 cases of puerperae who received caesarean section in the hospital between January 2015 and January 2017 were divided into control group (n=109) and observation group (n=109) by random table method. Control group received postpartum ropivacaine epidural analgesia alone, and observation group received postpartum ropivacaine combined with sufentanil epidural analgesia. The differences in serum levels of pain neurotransmitters, inflammatory factors and stress hormones were compared between the two groups immediately after childbirth (T0), 6 h after delivery (T1), 12 h after delivery (T2) and 24 h after delivery (T3). Results: At T0, the differences in serum levels of pain neurotransmitters, inflammatory factors and stress hormones were not statistically significant between the two groups. At T1, T2 and T3, serum NPY, β-EP and SP levels of observation group were lower than those of control group at corresponding points in time;serum IL-1β, hs-CRP and IL-6 levels of observation group were lower than those of control group at corresponding points in time;serum Cor, AngⅠ, AngⅡ and NE levels of observation group were lower than those of control group at corresponding points in time. Conclusion:Ropivacaine combined with sufentanil epidural analgesia after caesarean section can effectively inhibit the pain neurotransmitter expression and relieve the systemic inflammatory stress response in puerperae.

Potential impact of epidural labor analgesia on the outcomes of neonates and children

This review summarizes recent evidences regarding the potential influences of epidural labor analgesia(ELA)on the outcomes of neonates and children.Terms and relevant words including“ELA,”“ELA and neonatal outcomes,”“ELA and children’s development,”and“ELA and children’s neurocognitive development”were used to search articles published in PubMed database up to October 2019.Original articles and reviews regarding potential influences of ELA on neonates and children were identified.Relevant references of the selected articles were also screened.The anesthetics used during ELA can be absorbed,enter the fetus,and produce neonatal depression;however,these effects are less severe than those during systematic opioid analgesia.The impact of anesthetic exposure during ELA on children’s neurodevelopment has not been fully studied,but would be mild if any.ELA increases the risk of intrapartum maternal fever;the latter may be harmful to neonatal outcomes.The use of ELA may increase birth injury by increasing instrumental delivery,although long-term adverse events are rare.On the other hand,ELA may reduce maternal depression and,thus,produce favorable effects on neurocognitive development in childhood;but evidences are still lacking in this aspect.ELA may produce both favorable and unfavorable effects on neonates and children.These effects should be discussed with parturient women before making decisions.The potential harmful effects should be carefully managed.The overall impacts of ELA on neonatal and children’s outcomes need to be studied further.

Acupoint Injection Decreases Anesthetic Cosumption during Combined Spinal-Epidural and Patient-Controlled Epidural Labor Analgesia

Objective:To explore if acupoint injection can improve analgesic effects or delivery outcomes in parturients who received combined spinal-epidural analgesia(CSEA)and patient-controlled epidural analgesia(PCEA)for labor analgesia.Methods:A total of 307 participants were prospectively collected from July 2017 to December 2019.The participants were randomized into the combined acupoint injection with CSEA plus PCEA group(AICP group,n=168)and CSEA plus PCEA group(CP group,n=139)for labor analgesia using a random number table.Both groups received CSEA plus PCEA at cervical dilation 3 cm during labor process,and parturients of the AICP group were implemented acupoint injection for which bilateral acupoint of Zusanli(ST 36)and Sanyinjiao(SP 6)were selected in addition.The primary outcome was Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)score,and the secondary outcomes were obstetric outcomes and requirement of anesthetics doses.Safety evaluations were performed after intervention.Results:The VAS scores were significantly lower in the AICP group than in the CP group at 10,30,60,and 120 min after labor analgesia(all P<0.05).The latent phase of the AICP group was shorter than that of the CP group(P<0.05).There were less additional anesthetics consumption,lower incidences of uterine atony,fever,pruritus and urinary retention in the AICP group than those in the CP group(all P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupoint injection combined CSEA plus PCEA for labor analgesia can decrease the anesthetic consumption,improve analgesic quality,and reduce adverse reactions in the parturients.(Registration No.ChiMCTR-2000003120)

Optimum interval time of programmed intermittent epidural bolus of ropivacaine 0.08%with sufentanyl 0.3 mg/mL for labor analgesia:a biased-coin up-and-down sequential allocation trial

Background:The programmed intermittent epidural bolus(PIEB)technique is widely used in labor analgesia,but the parameter settings of PIEB have not yet been standardized.We designed a study to identify the optimal interval duration for PIEB using 10 mL of ropivacaine 0.08%and sufentanyl 0.3 mg/mL,a regimen commonly used to control labor pain in China,to provide effective analgesia in 90%of women during the first stage of labor without breakthrough pain.Methods:We conducted a double-blind sequential allocation trial to obtain the effective interval 90%(EI90%)during the first stage of labor between April 2019 and May 2019.This study included the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status II–III nulliparous parturients at term,who requested epidural analgesia.The bolus volume was fixed at 10 mL of ropivacaine 0.08%with sufentanyl 0.3 mg/mL.Participants were divided into four groups(groups 60,50,40,and 30)according to the PIEB intervals(60,50,40,and 30 min,respectively).The interval duration of the first parturient was set at 60 min and that of subsequent parturients varied according to a biased-coin design.The truncated Dixon and Mood method and the isotonic regression analysis method were used to estimate the EI90%and its 95%confidence intervals(CIs).Results:Forty-four women were enrolled in this study.The estimated optimal interval was 44.1 min(95%CI 41.7–46.5 min)and 39.5 min(95%CI 32.5–50.0 min),using the truncated Dixon and Mood method and isotonic regression analysis,respectively.The maximum sensory block level above T6 was in nearly 20%of parturients in group 30;however,5.3%,0%,and 0%of the parturients presented with sensory block level above T6 in groups 40,50,and 60,respectively.There were no cases of hypotension and only one parturient complained of motor block.Conclusion:With a fixed 10 mL dose of ropivacaine 0.08%with sufentanyl 0.3 mg/mL,the optimal PIEB interval is about 42 min.Further studies are warranted to define the efficacy of this regimen throughout all stages of labor.

Concerned topics of epidural labor analgesia:labor elongation and maternal pyrexia:a systematic review

Objective:Labor is a complex process and labor pain presents challenges for analgesia.Epidural analgesia(EA)has a well-known analgesic effect and is commonly used during labor.This review summarized frequently encountered and controversial problems surrounding EA during labor,including the labor process and maternal intrapartum fever,to build knowledge in this area.Data sources:We searched for relevant articles published up to 2019 in PubMed using a range of search terms(eg,“labor pain,”“epidural,”“analgesia,”“labor process,”“maternal pyrexia,”“intrapartum fever”).Study selection:The search returned 835 articles,including randomized control trials,retrospective cohort studies,observational studies,and reviews.The articles were screened by title,abstract,and then full-text,with a sample independently screened by two authors.Thirty-eight articles were included in our final analysis;20 articles concerned the labor process and 18 reported on maternal pyrexia during EA.Results:Four classic prospective studies including 14,326 participants compared early and delayed initiation of EA by the incidence of cesarean delivery.Early initiation following an analgesia request was preferred.However,it was controversial whether continuous use of EA in the second stage of labor induced adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes due to changes in analgesic and epidural infusion regimens.There was a high incidence of maternal pyrexia in women receiving EA and women with placental inflammation or histologic chorioamnionitis compared with those receiving systemic opioids.Conclusions:Early EA(cervical dilation≥1 cm)does not increase the risk for cesarean section.Continuous epidural application of low doses of analgesics and programmed intermittent epidural bolus do not prolong second-stage labor duration or impact maternal and neonatal outcomes.The association between EA and maternal pyrexia remains controversial,but pyrexia is more common with EA than without.A non-infectious inflammatory process is an accepted mechanism of epidural-related maternal fever.

Effects of Ropivacaine-sufentanil Epidural Analgesia on Labor and Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes

[Objectives]This study aimed to investigate the effects of ropivacaine-sufentanil epidural analgesia on labor and maternal and neonatal outcomes.[Methods]A total of 180 primiparas in full-term pregnancy were selected.They were randomly divided into treatment group(n=90)and control group(n=90).The primiparas in the treatment group were injected epidurally with ropivacaine and sufentanil for analgesia,and the primiparas in the control group were subjected to vaginal delivery.The VAS scores at 5,10,30 and 60 min of analgesia were observed.The vaginal bleeding amount,total labor duration,neonatal Apgar score and vaginal delivery rate of the two groups were compared.[Results]Compared with the control group,the VAS score in the treatment group differed insignificantly after 5 min of analgesia(P>0.05),and decreased significantly after 10,30 and 60 min of analgesia(P<0.05).The vaginal bleeding amount of the treatment group was significantly smaller than that of the control group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the neonatal Apgar score between the two groups(P>0.05).In the treatment group,the vaginal delivery rate increased(P<0.05),the second stage of labor was prolonged(P<0.05),and the first and third stages of labor did not change significantly(P>0.05).[Conclusions]Epidural analgesia with ropivacaine and sufentanil has a good analgesic effect and good safety,and is worthy of clinical promotion.