ABSTRACT
Background: Labour pain is among the most severe pain experienced by women. It is unpleasant and distressing to the parturient. The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare the analgesic efficacy and adverse effects of intramuscular tramadol and pethidine in labour. Methods: The prospective study conducted in SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Department of OBG, from December 2013 to November 2014. The study was a study of the parturients admitted in the labour theatre. Written and informed consent was taken from all the patients enrolled in the study. One hundred parturient at term in active labour were randomly assigned to one of the two groups to receive intramuscularly either tramadol 100 mg or pethidine 75 mg. Results: Results were comparable in terms of maternal age, maternal weight and neonatal weight. Proportion of cases with satisfactory to good pain relief was 74% in the tramadol group and 78% in the pethidine group. Nausea and/or vomiting (12% versus 8%), fatigue (6% versus 4%) and drowsiness (8% versus 4%) were significantly high in the pethidine group than the tramadol group(p<0.05). The drugs used did not appear to influence the mode of delivery. Proportion of cases with non-reassuring foetal heart rate was high in the pethidine group. Meconium stained liquor was equally seen in both the groups and there were no incidence of neonatal respiratory depression in any of the groups.Conclusion: Tramadol is an equally effective labour analgesic as pethidine with less maternal and perinatal side effects.