ABSTRACT
Evaluations of labor and delivery progress and care quality in primiparous patients that receive obstetric analgesia by peridural way at the beginning of the active phase, was done. One-hundred-twenty-nine patients at the beginning of the active phase of the labor were randomized into two groups: Group I: Sixty-six patients that received obstetric analgesia by peridural way and Group II: Sixty-three patients did not receive analgesia by any way. Length of the cervical dilation and effacement, and expulsive period, cervical dilation rate per hour, delivery type, labor experience and perinatal outcomes were measured. The length means of the cervical dilation and effacement was 177.7 (SD +/- 89.0) and 296.0 (SD +/- 114.5) minutes to Group I and II respectively (p < 0.005). Cervical dilation rate was 2.74 and 1.6 centimeters per hour to Group I and II respectively (p < 0.05). The length of the expulsive period was 36.54 minutes (SD +/- 21.7) to Group I and 42.57 minutes (SD +/- 16.15) to Group II (p > 0.05). Labor experience was referred like very painful in the 9% and 100% to Group I and II respectively (p < 0.05). The perinatal outcomes and method of delivery were similar between two groups. Obstetric analgesia administered by peridural way at the beginning of the active phase of the labor significantly reduce the dilation and effacement period and whole labor, without modify the expulsive period length. It does not inhibit the uterine activity and improvement the care quality of the labor.
