Regional analgesia for labour pain: an up-date

ABSTRACT

Every mother has the right to be pain free during the most distressful moments of her life which are labour and delivery and she should be provided pain relief by all available means. A large number of studies have proven the efficacy, reliability and safety of regional techniques in obstetric patients. They should be employed when appropriately trained personnel, equipment, monitors and resources are available. The management of labour pain has tremendously changed over the recent years. The current trend is for ambulatory analgesia or so called "walking epidural". The presently employed regional techniques keep the mother free of pain, non-paralysed and co-operative. These methods have minimal or nonsignificant undesirable side effects on the uterus, foetus or the neonate. There is a reduction of nursing problems also because it is easier to manage a non-paralysed parturient as compared to a semi-paralysed one