Influences of epidural labor analgesia on maternal postpartum cognitive function after vaginal delivery:a prospective cohort study / 中华围产医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the incidence of cognitive dysfunction in postpartum women who underwent epidural or non-drug labor analgesia and the influence factors.Methods A prospective cohort study was performed in 1 618 uneventful singleton pregnancies in International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital from January 2017 to January 2018.Women who received epidural labor analgesia were assigned to the epidural group (n=803),and those who received Doula technique non-drug labor analgesia rather than labor analgesia to the control group (n=815).Cognitive function was assessed using symbol digit modalities test (SDMT90) and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) 1 d and 42 d after delivery.Incidence of maternal cognitive dysfunction,SDMT90 scores and pain intensity measured by visual analogue score (VAS) at the cervical dilatation of 3,6 and 10 cm between the two groups were compared using independent sample t-test,Chi-square test or logistic regression analysis.Results MoCA and SDMT90 scores of the epidural group were significantly higher than those of the control group 1 d after delivery (27.1 ± 1.5 vs 26.2± 1.8,49.1 ±2.4 vs 42.5 ± 3.6;t=3.775 and 16.956,both P＜0.05),but the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in the epidural group was remarkably lower comparing to the control group [13.9％ (112/803) vs 21.2％ (173/815),x2=14.769,P=0.002].The VAS scores of the epidural group at the cervical dilatation of 3,6 and 10 cm were all lower than those of the control group (2.3 ± 0.6 vs 6.9± 1.3,3.3 ± 0.9 vs 8.7± 0.9,5.7± 0.9 vs 9.7± 0.4;t=0.013,0.011 and 0.015;all P＜0.001).Logistic regression analysis indicated that VAS scores ≤ 3 at the cervical dilatation of 3,6 and 10 cm were protective factors against the incidence ofPOCD 1 d after delivery [OR(95％CI)0.238 (0.198-0.287),0.180 (0.145-0.222) and 0.112 (0.088-0.142),all P＜0.001],while the absence of epidural labor analgesia was a risk factor (OR=4.698,95％CI1.812-11.321,P＜0.001).Conclusions Epidural labor analgesia can reduce the incidence of postpartum cognitive dysfunction in women 1 d after delivery.The incidence of POCD has close relationship with the VAS scores at the cervical dilatation of 3,6 and 10 cm and epidural labor analgesia.