Why the study?
Does epidural catheter insertion in the sitting position improve technical ease or reduce complications compared to the lateral position in mothers during labour?
Does epidural catheter insertion in the sitting position improve technical ease or reduce complications compared to the lateral position in mothers during labour?
The success and ease of epidural catheter insertion during labour depend more on the anaesthetist's skill and experience than on whether the patient is in a sitting or lateral position.
Labour epidural position may be selected for comfort or logistics; confirms operator skill, not positioning, as the dominant factor in technical success.
This study was undertaken to investigate the outcome of epidural catheter insertion in the sitting or lateral position in mothers during labour. An initial prospective randomised study period (144 patients) suggested that the sitting position offered some superiority over the lateral in terms of technical ease of insertion. It was concluded, by minimising the subjective aspects in a follow-up, prospective nonrandomised study period (152 patients), that the determining factor lies in the skill and experience of the anaesthetist. There was no significant difference in complication rates or maternal discomfort between the two positions in either study period.
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Stone et al. (1990) studied this question.
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