title: Should Nitrous Oxide Be Used for Laboring Patients?
abstract: Nitrous oxide, long used during labor in Europe, is gaining popularity in the United States. It offers many beneficial attributes, with few drawbacks. Cost, safety, and side effect profiles are favorable. Analgesic effectiveness is highly variable, yet maternal satisfaction is often high among the women who choose to use it. Despite being less effective in treating labor pain than neuraxial analgesic modalities, nitrous oxide serves the needs and preferences of a subset of laboring parturients. Nitrous oxide should, therefore, be considered for inclusion in the repertoire of modalities used to alleviate pain and facilitate effective coping during labor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 4202 VUH, 1211 Medical Center Drive, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. Electronic address: michael.g.richardson@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
authors.forename: Brandon M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 4202 VUH, 1211 Medical Center Drive, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: Curtis L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Baysinger
mesh_terms: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D048949:Labor Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D009609:Nitrous Oxide
keywords: Analgesic effectiveness; Drug safety; Labor analgesia; Maternal satisfaction; Nitrous oxide