Neuraxial analgesia versus intravenous remifentanil for pain relief in early labor in nulliparous women.
OBJECTIVE
To assess if there is a difference in duration of labor, the mode of delivery, average Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores, maternal overall satisfaction with analgesia, side effects and neonatal outcomes in nulliparous women who received early labor analgesia with either epidural, patient-controlled IV analgesia (PCIA) with remifentanil or combined spinal-epidural (CSE) techniques.


METHODS
This is a prospective randomized interventional study.


METHODS
The study included 1,140 healthy nulliparous women (with term, singleton pregnancies) early in labor, requesting labor analgesia, during the period from September 2009 to August 2011 at TAIBA Hospital in Kuwait. The participants were randomized to receive either epidural analgesia (Group I), or PCIA with remifentanil (Group II) or CSE analgesia (Group III). The primary outcome was the rate of cesarean delivery.


RESULTS
CSE analgesia was associated with a statistically highly significant decrease in labor duration (from analgesia to vaginal delivery), duration of latent and active phases of the first stage, and duration of the second stage of labor, average VAS pain scores, and a highest maternal overall satisfaction score with analgesia (P<0.01) as compared to epidural analgesia or PCIA with remifentanil.


CONCLUSIONS
In terms of labor duration, average VAS pain scores, and maternal overall satisfaction score with analgesia, CSE analgesia is superior to that provided by epidural analgesia or PCIA with remifentanil for pain relief in early labor in nulliparous women. However, there were no differences in the mode of delivery, side effects or neonatal outcomes between the three techniques.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. drmohamed_taha@yahoo.com
Mohamed Taha
MT
Ismail
Maher Z
MZ
Hassanin
D000328:Adult; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural / Q000009:adverse effects; D016362:Analgesia, Obstetrical / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled / Q000009:adverse effects; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal / Q000009:adverse effects; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005113:Extraction, Obstetrical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007747:Labor Stage, First; D007748:Labor Stage, Second; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010298:Parity; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010880:Piperidines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D000077208:Remifentanil; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D010880:Piperidines; D000077208:Remifentanil