title: Effect of epidural analgesia with bupivacaine hydrochloride on neonatal bilirubin production.
abstract: We evaluated the rate of bilirubin production in vivo in newborns whose mothers received an epidural block with bupivacaine hydrochloride during labor and delivery. Bilirubin production was estimated in 23 full-term newborns whose mothers were treated with bupivacaine and in 20 controls by determining the end-tidal carbon monoxide concentration and the blood carboxyhemoglobin level corrected for ambient carbon monoxide. No significant difference was found between the mean end-tidal carbon monoxide concentrations for the bupivacaine-treated and the control groups (1.3 +/- 0.5 and 1.4 +/- 0.7 microL/kg/hour, respectively), or between the mean blood carboxyhemoglobin levels corrected for ambient carbon monoxide (0.54 +/- 0.17 and 0.52 +/- 0.18% saturation, respectively). These negative findings support the clinical studies, which have failed to demonstrate a causative connection between bupivacaine and neonatal jaundice.
mesh_terms: D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D000773:Anesthesia, Obstetrical; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood*; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D001663:Bilirubin; D002045:Bupivacaine