title: Performance of acupuncture as labor analgesia in the clinical setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Three randomized controlled trials have shown that acupuncture during labor can reduce the use of epidural analgesia and meperidine. To supplement these trials, we have designed an observational study to answer the research question: "Do laboring women in a normal hospital setting who receive acupuncture require less epidural analgesia than those who do not receive acupuncture?"
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  Delivery ward of a tertiary care University hospital in Norway.
  
  
  METHODS
  All attempted vaginal labors during the period 01.12.99-31.12.03 (n = 17,741).
  
  
  METHODS
  Multivariate logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The dependent variable in the regression analysis was use of epidural analgesia. The independent variables were: use of acupuncture, use of nitrous oxide, use of meperidine, parity, ethnicity, age, duration of pregnancy, type of labor (induced or not), and duration of first stage of labor. In the multivariate analysis the odds ratio for having an epidural was 0.6 (95% CI 0.5-0.7) for the patients having acupuncture compared to those not having acupuncture.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women having acupuncture as labor analgesia in the clinical setting have a reduced use of epidural analgesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Ullevaal University Hospital, University of Oslo, Norway. brittin@medisin.uio.no
authors.forename: Britt-Ingjerd
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Nesheim
authors.forename: Ragnhild
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kinge
mesh_terms: D015667:Acupuncture Analgesia; D000328:Adult; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D048949:Labor Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome