title: Intrapartum epidural analgesia and maternal temperature regulation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine maternal temperature changes after epidural analgesia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort of nulliparas at term was monitored with hourly maternal tympanic temperatures after epidural analgesia (n=99). Temperature response after epidural analgesia was examined in the group as a whole. Subsequently, mean maternal temperature curves were compared between women who remained afebrile throughout labor (n=77) and women who developed intrapartum fever with body temperature greater than 100.4 degrees F (n=22). Baseline maternal characteristics were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women who later developed intrapartum fever had a higher mean temperature within 1 hour after epidural analgesia. In contrast, women who remained afebrile had no increase in core temperature. During the first 4 hours after epidural analgesia initiation, women who later develop intrapartum fever have an increase in mean tympanic temperature of 0.33 degrees F per hour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Epidural analgesia is not associated with increased temperature in the majority of women. Hyperthermia is an abnormal response confined to a minority subset, which occurs immediately after exposure. Our findings do not support a universal perturbation of maternal thermoregulation after epidural analgesia.
  
  
  METHODS
  II.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA. goetzl@musc.edu
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goetzl
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rivers
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zighelboim
authors.forename: Ashutosh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wali
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Badell
authors.forename: Maya S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Suresh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors