Impact of individualized onset time on the effect of epidural labor analgesia / 临床麻醉学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate whether preset epidural catheter and individualized onset time could improve the effect of epidural labor analgesia.Methods This was an open-label,random-ized,controlled trial.The nulliparae aged from 18 to 35 years,with single cephalic term pregnancy, were randomized into two groups.In the individualized group,epidural catheterization was performed at the beginning of labor (emergence of regular contractions and nearly disappearance of cervix),and epidural analgesia was initiated when asked by parturients and the numeric rating scale (NRS,a verbal rating score from 0 to 10 for pain,in which 0 represented no pain and 10 the worst pain imagi-nable)pain score ≥ 5 .In the control group,epidural analgesia was initiated at cervical dilation of≥ 1 cm.The primary outcome measures were the most severe NRS pain score during labor and the pro-portion of the most severe NRS pain score ≥ 7 evaluated at 24 hours after delivery.Results A total of 194 parturients completed the study,among whom 97 were in the individualized group and 97 in the control group.The most severe labor pain score during labor [median 9 (IQR 8-10)in the individ-ualized group vs 9 (8-10)in the control group,P=0.201]and the proportion having the most severe pain score ≥ 7 [94 cases (96.9%)in the individualized group vs 89 cases (91.8%)in the control group,P=0.1 2 1 ]did not differ significantly between the two groups.There were no significant differences of adverse events between the two groups.Conclusion For the nulliparae with single ce-phalic term pregnancy suitable for vaginal delivery, the effects of individualized epidural labor analgesia are comparable to that of traditional analgesia (beginning at cervical dilation of ≥ 1 cm). The individualized analgesia is safe.