[Request of epidural analgesia by women and obstetrical teams in four French areas. Part I: Request for analgesia]. / Demande d'analgésie périmédullaire par les patientes et les équipes obstétricales dans quatre régions françaises. Partie I : demande d'analgésie.

OBJECTIVE: Epidural analgesia (EA) is widely used in France to treat the labour pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate and analyse the reasons of EA requirements by parturients and obstetricians. STUDY DESIGN: An epidemiological survey was sent in all maternity units of four French areas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-eight of the 84 maternity units entered the study. In each centre, 25 patients fulfilled the questionnaire and the medical team fulfilled a questionnaire about the organisation of the ward. Demands of EA by parturients during pregnancy, labour and for the next delivery were recorded, and also the offer of EA by midwives and the possibility to move in an other town to obtain an EA. Student t-test, chi2 test and logistic regression model were used as requested. p<0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred forty-two women entered the study. During pregnancy 79% of women asked for an EA, they were 72% during labour. Factors influencing the request of an EA were parity, educational level, pain, preanaesthetic evaluation and the size and the kind of maternity unit (university, public or private hospital). During labour, the request of an EA was more frequent when anaesthesiologists were on call in the hospital (77.7 vs 66.7%, p<0.001). Midwives offered EA to 69% of women. For the next delivery 79.9% of women hoped an EA, the factors of this new request were parity, pain during this labour and EA during this labour; 42.8% would be ready to move in an other town to obtain an EA. The medical indications for EA occurred in 1.8% of patients. DISCUSSION: The request for EA mainly comes from women. Probably, in France, the request for EA will not diminish in the future. Analgesia networks could be considered.

[Request of epidural analgesia by women and obstetrical teams in four French areas. Part II: Management of epidural analgesia]. / Demande d'analgésie périmédullaire par les patientes et les équipes obstétricales dans quatre régions françaises. Partie II : réalisation des analgésies périmédullaires.

OBJECTIVE: Epidural analgesia (EA) is widely used in France to treat the labour pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate and analyse the rate of EA and the ratio between EA required by parturients and total EA realised (performance ratio). STUDY DESIGN: An epidemiological survey was sent in all maternity units of 4 French areas. Patients and methods. - 48 of the 84 maternity units were participating to the study. In each centre, 25 patients fulfilled the questionnaire and the medical team fulfilled a questionnaire about the organisation of the ward. Rate of EA and performance ratio were calculated. Student t test, chi2 test and logistic regression model were used as requested; p<0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: The mean rate of epidural analgesia (EA) rate, in the French areas studied, was 61.6%. It was significantly higher in university (79+/-13.7%) and private hospital (73.1+/-20.4%) than in general hospitals (54.6+/-19.6%, p<0.01), and also in those where anaesthesiologists are dedicated to the maternity unit (71.3+/-17.8 vs 54.6+/-22.1%, p<0.01) and in hospitals where anaesthesiologists were on duty in the hospital versus on call at home (69.8+/-21.4 vs 56.1+/-19%, p<0.02). Median duration of EA was 180 minutes, and 21.3% of them lasted more than five hours. Most of EA was performed between 8 AM and 6 PM. Patients' request was the major reason of EA insertion (OR=11.81), then the midwife request (OR=9.01). Other significant factors were the type of the hospital, the anaesthesiologist on duty and parity of women. The ratio between the number of EA requested by parturients and the total number of EA performed was significantly better in university hospitals (100.3+/-13%) and private hospitals (92.2+/-15.7%) than in general hospitals (79.4+/-17.3%, p<0.02). For the patients who had requested EA and did not have EA, the main reason was that labour was too fast (122/167) and then that there was a fail in anaesthesiological organization (59/167). The contraindications were rare (14/167). CONCLUSION: To correctly answer to the request of EA, it seems necessary that one or more anaesthesiologists were dedicated to the maternity units, and that they were on duty into the hospital. So it seems important to have large maternities with adequate number of anaesthesiologists.

HIV testing of pregnant women: a policy analysis.

The promising findings of ACTG 076, which identified a hopeful strategy for substantially reducing HIV transmission from mother to fetus, has stimulated a debate on counseling and testing protocols for pregnant women. This article presents an analysis of five state policy alternatives that address HIV counseling and testing. The policy analysis utilizes vertical and horizontal equity, user preference including avoidance of stigma and the right to privacy, effectiveness, and feasibility as evaluative criteria for examination of the policies. Interviews with state health department personnel enhance the policy analysis. While universal HIV counseling and voluntary testing for pregnant women emerges as the most acceptable policy, public health professionals must assume a vital role in facilitating the adoption of ethical and just state policies in an atmosphere sometimes hostile to women at risk for HIV.

[Low back pain and headache during immediate postpartum. Role of obstetrical epidural analgesia]. / Douleurs lombaires et céphalées dans le postpartum immédiat. Rôle de l'analgésie péridurale obstétricale.

The rate of low back pain and headache following parturition seems to be higher in patients delivered under epidural analgesia. The aim of this study, performed in the immediate postpartum (up to 3rd day) and including 200 patients delivered vaginally, was to assess the incidence and the risk factors of low back pain and headache. A total of 31.5% of them complained of low back pain (LBP+) after parturition. They were significantly younger than those without low back pain (LBP-) (p < 0.03) and have had significantly more often epidural analgesia (p < 0.05). However, there were no statistically significant differences concerning weight, weight gain, parity, duration of labour and duration of epidural analgesia. The LBP+ patients complained significantly more often of cervical (p < 0.04) and low back pain (p < 0.02) during pregnancy, than the LBP-. In the immediate postpartum period, cervical and dorsal pain as well as headache occurred significantly more often in LBP+ than in LBP+ (p < 0.001). The intensity of low back pain during pregnancy (p < 0.006). Risk factors for postpartum LBP were epidural analgesia (OR = odds ratio = 6.59), LBP (OR = 6.50) and cervical pain (OR = 2.75) during pregnancy. The influence of epidural analgesia is questionable, as there was no difference between duration of labour and duration of epidural analgesia, if used, between the two groups. Patients for whom epidural analgesia was required are probably more susceptible to pain during pregnancy. Patients who suffered from postpartum headache (PPHDA+) were comparable to those who did not (PPDHA-).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)