Epidural analgesia significantly prolonged the second stage of labor compared to no epidural (54.61 vs 37.36 mins; p=0.032), without increasing the rate of caesarean section.
Cohort (n=174)
No
Does epidural analgesia affect the duration of the second stage of labor and mode of delivery in women in labor?
Epidural analgesia significantly reduces labor pain and prolongs the second stage of labor without increasing the rate of caesarean sections or instrumental deliveries.
Absolute Event Rate: 54.61% vs 37.36%
p-value: p=0.032
Epidural analgesia is regional anaesthesia that blocks pain in a particular region of the body. The use of epidural analgesia (EA) in labor is widespread in modern labor ward practice, and its benefits in terms of pain relief are well-recognized. Aims: To study the effect of epidural analgesia on second stage of labor, maternal and neonatal outcomes and its efficacy in labor. Study Design: This is Prospective Cohort Study was carried at Dr. L. H. Hiranandani Hospital. All the women admitted in labour room for delivery were divided into 2 groups. Case Group: Included 84 women who opted for epidural analgesia. Control Group: Included 90 women who did not take epidural analgesia. Results: The 2nd stage of labor in epidural group was 54.61 (± 37.24) mins and 37.36 (± 26.79) mins in the non epidural analgesia group. By using unpaired t-test, it was found that the data was significant (p=0.032). The incidence of caesarean section in the epidural group was 16.66% and the in non-epidural group was 12.22%. It was observed that epidural analgesia did not increase the rate of instrumental delivery or caesarean section. The mean VAS Score before epidural analgesia was 6.2 (± 1.07) whereas it was 3.95 (± 1.46) after epidural analgesia. On applying Wilcoxon Matched Pair test, it was found that the pain was reduced significantly in the mothers after receiving the epidural analgesia. Conclusion: Epidural analgesia can be safely recommended as a method of labor analgesia. Epidural analgesia has no significant adverse effects on maternal and neonatal outcomes Keywords: Epidural analgesia, VAS – Visual analogue score, 2nd stage of labour, Caesarean sect.
Sahu et al. (Wed,) conducted a cohort in Labor (n=174). Epidural analgesia vs. No epidural analgesia was evaluated on Duration of second stage of labor (minutes) (p=0.032). Epidural analgesia significantly prolonged the second stage of labor compared to no epidural (54.61 vs 37.36 mins; p=0.032), without increasing the rate of caesarean section.