A Protocol on Comparative Evaluation of Epidural and Spinal Technique of Labour Analgesia in Rural Women of Central India and their Perceptions Regarding Pain Relief in Labour

Background: Labour pain while giving birth is one of the most excruciatingly painful and emotionally stressful experience for a woman that has piqued the interest of several academicians. Labour pain is induced due to the uterine ischemia, expansion of vagina and birth canal, muscle contractions, and pressure on the bladder. To relieve the severe pain during labour, analgesia is required, which offers pain relief without the loss of consciousness. Regional analgesia (Epidural and spinal) are most commonly used for offering pain relief to women. Aim: To evaluate whether low dose spinal analgesia is a better alternative to lumbar epidural analgesia for pain relief in labour. Objectives - Primary objective is to evaluate efficacy of lumbar epidural and spinal analgesia for pain relief in labour. Secondary objective is to evaluate the perceptions of women towards the use of labour analgesia, to evaluate the maternal and fetal outcome and to evaluate the barriers affecting the use of lumbar epidural and spinal analgesia for women during labour. Methods: In this randomized control trial study, where 60 patients are present in each group. Patients in GROUP E, epidural analgesia will be given using 18-gauge Touhy epidural needle by a loss of resistance to air technique, and after confirmation of space, an epidural catheter will be inserted cranially in L3 - L4 or L4-L5 interspace, and a dose of 15ml of 0.125% bupivacaine with 25µg of fentanyl would be given slowly. Group S patients will receive subarachnoid block using 25-gauge needle inserted and directed to reach the intrathecal space between L3 - L4 or L4 - L5 intervertebral space. After a successful Dural puncture with acceptable CSF flow, 0.1% bupivacaine 2ml with 25µg fentanyl will be given via spinal needle. Throughout the duration of delivery, hemodynamic monitoring including SPO2, ECG, heart rate and blood pressure of mother and fetal heart rate would be monitored under the guidance of obstetrician and anesthesiologists. Patient will be assessed every 5min for the first 15 min, and then every 15 minutes until additional analgesia was requested. The severity of labour pain would be assessed using visual analogue scale. (0 = no pain; 10 = severe pain). Within the first 24 - 48 hours postpartum patient will fill the self-administered questionnaires. Results: The groups are expected to be similar. However, Low dose spinal analgesia may be a better alternative to lumbar epidural analgesia in providing effective pain relief for women in labour in terms of cost effectiveness. There are no results found as it is just a protocol. Results are yet to come. Conclusions: The study would offer new insights and knowledge into the use of epidural and spinal analgesia in India, particularly Wardha. The perceptions of women, towards labour analgesia, its consequences or side effects, and the myths associated with its use will be comprehended.

Obstetric anaesthesia and analgesia

This chapter discusses the anaesthetic management of the pregnant patient, for labour analgesia as well as surgical intervention. It begins with a description of the physiological and pharmacological changes of pregnancy. It describes methods of labour analgesia, including remifentanil, and epidural analgesia and its complications, such as post dural puncture headache (PDPH). It describes anaesthesia for Caesarean section (both regional and general); failed intubation; antacid prophylaxis; postoperative analgesia; retained placenta; in utero fetal death; hypertensive disease of pregnancy (pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and the hypertension, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome); massive obstetric haemorrhage; placenta praevia and morbidly adherent placenta (placenta accreta, increta and percreta); amniotic fluid embolism (AFE); maternal sepsis, and maternal resuscitation. It discusses comorbidity in pregnancy such as obesity and cardiac disease, and the patient who requires non-obstetric surgery while pregnant. It provides information on safe prescribing in pregnancy and breast-feeding.

LABOUR ANALGESIA BY NEUROAXIAL BLOCKADE TECHNIQUE AND ITS LABOUR OUTCOME

BACKGROUND:Pain relief during labour is an important component of modern obstetric care and can be produced by neuraxial, systemic or inhalational analgesia. Recent meta-analyses have supported epidural analgesia as the most efficacious technique.A good labour analgesia should aim at good pain relief during delivery process,at the same time not causing foetal acidosis,ensures safe for both mother and the baby. AIM OF THE STUDY:To study the influence of epidural analgesia on maternal and neonatal outcome MATERIALS AND METHODS:The study was conducted in the depar tment of Obstet r ics and Gynecology,GOVT.Stanley Medical College,Govt.RSRM LYING IN HOSPITAL,CHENNAI over a period of eight months from July 2019 to February 2021. The study was performed in 120 selected subjects. The study subjects were divided based on intervention – labour analgesia into 2 study groups. In this study,change in vital parameters,fetal heart rate,assessment of pain score,Duration of first and second stage of labour,mode of delivery,APGAR score and the need for NICU admission were noted and recorded.Any complications during the course of labour were also recorded. RESULTS:In this study,there was no significant difference in the mean duration of first and second stage of labour in both the study and control groups.The mean Apgar score of babies at one minute was 7.02 and at 5 minutes was 8.07 in the labour analgesia group and showed no significance.Maternal satisfaction for the effect of epidural analgesia,60.00% of the patients of epidural analgesia, the incidence of satisfactory/very satisfactory experience was meaningfully and significantly more in labour analgesia group subjects compared to control group subjects by 30 % with a 2 fold increase. CONCLUSION: As per this study labour analgesia using neuroaxial blockade technique are more likely to encounter increasing maternal satisfaction and good quality labour pain reduction.