Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women regarding epidural analgesia: a multicentre study from a developing country.

BACKGROUND: Epidural analgesia has emerged as one of the best methods that can be used to reduce labour pain. This study was conducted to assess awareness, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women who visited maternity and antenatal healthcare clinics about epidural analgesia during normal vaginal birth. METHODS: This multicentre study was conducted in a cross-sectional design among pregnant women using a pre-tested questionnaire. The study population in this study was pregnant women who visited maternity and antenatal healthcare clinics in Palestine. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 389 pregnant women completed the questionnaire. Of the pregnant women, 381 (97.9%) were aware of the existence of epidural analgesia, 172 (44.2%) had already used epidural analgesia, and 57 (33.1%) experienced complications as a result of epidural analgesia. Of the pregnant women, 308 (79.2%) stated that epidural analgesia should be available during vaginal birth. Of the pregnant women, 243 (62.5%) stated that they would use epidural analgesia if offered for free or covered by insurance. Multivariate logistic regression showed that women who were younger than 32 years, who have used epidural analgesia, and those who stated that epidural analgesia should be available during vaginal birth were 2.78-fold (95% CI: 1.54-5.04), 4.96-fold (95% CI: 2.71-9.10), and 13.57-fold (95% CI: 6.54-28.16) more likely to express willingness to use epidural analgesia, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women had high awareness of the existence, moderate knowledge, and positive attitudes towards epidural analgesia for normal vaginal birth. Future studies should focus on educating pregnant women about all approaches that can be used to reduce labour pain including their risks and benefits.

This study focused on what pregnant women at maternity clinics in Palestine know and think about getting epidural shots during normal births to help lessen the pain when women give birth. Most of the pregnant women have heard about epidural shots and said that these shots should be offered during normal birth. Most of the pregnant women said that they would consider using epidural shots once offered for free or covered by insurance. Younger women, those who had used an epidural before, and those who thought epidurals should be available during birth were more likely to want to use an epidural again.

Variation in Hospital Neuraxial Labor Analgesia Rates in California.

BACKGROUND: Neuraxial analgesia provides effective pain relief during labor. However, it is unclear whether neuraxial analgesia prevalence differs across U.S. hospitals. The aim of this study was to assess hospital variation in neuraxial analgesia prevalence in California. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed birthing patients who underwent labor in 200 California hospitals from 2016 to 2020. The primary exposure was the delivery hospital. The outcomes were hospital neuraxial analgesia prevalence and between-hospital variability, before and after adjustment for patient and hospital factors. Median odds ratio and intraclass correlation coefficients quantified between-hospital variability. The median odds ratio estimated the odds of a patient receiving neuraxial analgesia when moving between hospitals. The intraclass correlation coefficients quantified the proportion of the total variance in neuraxial analgesia use due to variation between hospitals. RESULTS: Among 1,510,750 patients who underwent labor, 1,040,483 (68.9%) received neuraxial analgesia. Both unadjusted and adjusted hospital prevalence exhibited a skewed distribution characterized by a long left tail. The unadjusted and adjusted prevalences were 5.4% and 6.0% at the 1st percentile, 21.0% and 21.2% at the 5th percentile, 70.6% and 70.7% at the 50th percentile, 75.8% and 76.6% at the 95th percentile, and 75.9% and 78.6% at the 99th percentile, respectively. The adjusted median odds ratio (2.3; 95% CI, 2.1 to 2.5) indicated substantially increased odds of a patient receiving neuraxial analgesia if they moved from a hospital with a lower odds of neuraxial analgesia to one with higher odds. The hospital explained only a moderate portion of the overall variability in neuraxial analgesia (intraclass correlation coefficient, 19.1%; 95% CI, 18.8 to 20.5%). CONCLUSIONS: A long left tail in the distribution and wide variation exist in the neuraxial analgesia prevalence across California hospitals that is not explained by patient and hospital factors. Addressing the low prevalence among hospitals in the left tail requires exploration of the interplay between patient preferences, staffing availability, and care providers' attitudes toward neuraxial analgesia.

Association of Medicaid Expansion With Neuraxial Labor Analgesia Use in the United States: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Affordable Care Act has been associated with increased Medicaid coverage for childbirth among low-income US women. We hypothesized that Medicaid expansion was associated with increased use of labor neuraxial analgesia. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of US women with singleton live births who underwent vaginal delivery or intrapartum cesarean delivery between 2009 and 2017. Data were sourced from births in 26 US states that used the 2003 Revised US Birth Certificate. Difference-in-difference linear probability models were used to compare changes in the prevalence of neuraxial labor analgesia in 15 expansion and 11 nonexpansion states before and after Medicaid expansion. Models were adjusted for potential maternal and obstetric confounders with standard errors clustered at the state level. RESULTS: The study sample included 5,703,371 births from 15 expansion states and 5,582,689 births from 11 nonexpansion states. In the preexpansion period, the overall rate of neuraxial analgesia in expansion and nonexpansion states was 73.2% vs 76.3%. Compared with the preexpansion period, the rate of neuraxial analgesia increased in the postexpansion period by 1.7% in expansion states (95% CI, 1.6-1.8) and 0.9% (95% CI, 0.9-1.0) in nonexpansion states. The adjusted difference-in-difference estimate comparing expansion and nonexpansion states was 0.47% points (95% CI, -0.63 to 1.57; P = .39). CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid expansion was not associated with an increase in the rate of neuraxial labor analgesia in expansion states compared to the change in nonexpansion states over the same time period. Increasing Medicaid eligibility alone may be insufficient to increase the rate of neuraxial labor analgesia.

Interventions for fear of childbirth including tocophobia.

BACKGROUND: Many women experience fear of childbirth (FOC). While fears about childbirth may be normal during pregnancy, some women experience high to severe FOC. At the extreme end of the fear spectrum is tocophobia, which is considered a specific condition that may cause distress, affect well-being during pregnancy and impede the transition to parenthood. Various interventions have been trialled, which support women to reduce and manage high to severe FOC, including tocophobia. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for reducing fear of childbirth (FOC) compared with standard maternity care in pregnant women with high to severe FOC, including tocophobia. SEARCH METHODS: In July 2020, we searched Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth's Trials Register, ClinicalTrials.gov, the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), and reference lists of retrieved studies. We contacted researchers of trials which were registered and appeared to be ongoing. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised clinical trials which recruited pregnant women with high or severe FOC (as defined by the individual trial), for treatment intended to reduce FOC. Two review authors independently screened and selected titles and abstracts for inclusion. We excluded quasi-randomised and cross-over trials. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard methodological approaches as recommended by Cochrane. Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed the studies for risk of bias. A third review author checked the data analysis for accuracy. We used GRADE to assess the certainty of the evidence. The primary outcome was a reduction in FOC. Secondary outcomes were caesarean section, depression, birth preference for caesarean section or spontaneous vaginal delivery, and epidural use. MAIN RESULTS: We included seven trials with a total of 1357 participants. The interventions included psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy, group discussion, peer education and art therapy. We judged four studies as high or unclear risk of bias in terms of allocation concealment; we judged three studies as high risk in terms of incomplete outcome data; and in all studies, there was a high risk of bias due to lack of blinding. We downgraded the certainty of the evidence due to concerns about risk of bias, imprecision and inconsistency. None of the studies reported data about women's anxiety. Participating in non-pharmacological interventions may reduce levels of fear of childbirth, as measured by the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (W-DEQ), but the reduction may not be clinically meaningful (mean difference (MD) -7.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) -12.19 to -1.97; 7 studies, 828 women; low-certainty evidence). The W-DEQ tool is scored from 0 to 165 (higher score = greater fear). Non-pharmacological interventions probably reduce the number of women having a caesarean section (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.89; 5 studies, 557 women; moderate-certainty evidence). There may be little to no difference between non-pharmacological interventions and usual care in depression scores measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) (MD 0.09, 95% CI -1.23 to 1.40; 2 studies, 399 women; low-certainty evidence). The EPDS tool is scored from 0 to 30 (higher score = greater depression). Non-pharmacological interventions probably lead to fewer women preferring a caesarean section (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.89; 3 studies, 276 women; moderate-certainty evidence).  Non-pharmacological interventions may increase epidural use compared with usual care, but the 95% CI includes the possibility of a slight reduction in epidural use (RR 1.21, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.48; 2 studies, 380 women; low-certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The effect of non-pharmacological interventions for women with high to severe fear of childbirth in terms of reducing fear is uncertain. Fear of childbirth, as measured by W-DEQ, may be reduced but it is not certain if this represents a meaningful clinical reduction of fear. There may be little or no difference in depression, but there may be a reduction in caesarean section delivery. Future trials should recruit adequate numbers of women and measure birth satisfaction and anxiety.

Why is the labor epidural rate low and cesarean delivery rate high? A survey of Chinese perinatal care providers.

OBJECTIVE: China has a high cesarean delivery (CD) and low labor epidural analgesia (LEA) rate. This online survey was conducted to explore the reasons behind this phenomenon and potential solutions. METHODS: A voluntary, anonymous survey was distributed via both WeChat and professional websites for 4 months amongst groups of Chinese perinatal professionals. Data was collected and analyzed using a Chi-square test and presented as percentages of respondents. RESULTS: 1412 respondents were recorded (43% anesthesiologists, 35% obstetricians, 15.5% midwives or labor and delivery nurses, and 6.5% others), and 1320 respondents were care providers. It was found that 82.7% (1092/1320) of the provider respondents used CD per patient request in fear of lawsuits or yinao/yibao and 63.4% (837/1320) used CD for respecting superstitious culture. The number one reason (noted by 60.2% (795/1320) of all the three specialties) for low LEA use was lack of anesthesia manpower without statistical difference among specialties. The most recommended solution was increasing the anesthesia workforce, proposed by 79.8% (1053/1320) of the three specialties. However, the top solution provided by the two non-anesthesia specialties is different from the one proposed by anesthesiologists. The later (83%, 504/606) suggested increasing the incentive to provide the service is more effective. The answers to questions related to medical knowledge about CD and LEA, and unwillingness of anesthesiologists, parturients and their family members to LEA were similar for the most part, while the opinions regarding low LEA use related to poor experiences and unwillingness of obstetricians and hospital administrators were significantly divided among the three specialties. In the providers' point of view, the unwillingness to LEA from parturient's family members was the most salient (26.1%, 345/1320), which is more than all care providers, hospital administrators, and parturients themselves (16.8%, 222/1320). CONCLUSION: The reasons for high CD rate and low LEA use are multifactorial. The sociological issues (fear of yinao/yibao and superstitious culture) were the top two contributing factors for the high CD rate in China, while lack of anesthesia manpower was the top response for the low LEA use, which contributes to its being the most recommended solution overall from the three specialties. An incentive approach to providers is a short-term solution while training more perinatal care providers (especially among anesthesiologists and midwives), improving billing systems, and reforming legal systems are 3 systemic approaches to tackling this problem in the long-term.

Birth plan presentation to hospitals and its relation to obstetric outcomes and selected pain relief methods during childbirth.

BACKGROUND: The information on birth plan (BP) usage in Spanish hospitals is scant. AIM: To identify the percentage of pregnant women presenting a BP at five hospitals in Spain, the reasons why some women failed to do so and how BP presentation relates to obstetric outcomes and selected pain relief methods. METHODS: In this descriptive, multi-centre study, data were retrospectively collected. During the postpartum visits at primary healthcare centres in various health districts in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), a data collection sheet about obstetric outcomes and analgesia was administered to 432 mothers who had completed a BP during their pregnancies. The main outcome was the rate of BP presentation to the hospital. The sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and pain relief measures were compared to identify any differences between mothers who presented a BP and those who did not. RESULTS: A total of 422 (99.7%) women were studied; 51.2% of women (95% confidence interval (CI): 46.4-55.9) had presented a BP. The main reason for not presenting a BP was because the hospital midwives did not request them (61.2%). No differences were observed in BP presentation according to age, the country of origin, education, employment or hospital. Mothers who presented a BP were more likely to start breastfeeding in the birthing room (82.4% vs. 73.3%; p = 0.024). Epidural analgesia was the most common method used for pain relief (88.9%), and women who presented a BP attempted to use concomitant non-pharmacological methods more often (50.5% vs. 38.8%; p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Almost half of the mothers failed to present a BP, usually because midwives did not request it.

Time- and dose-dependent correlations between patient-controlled epidural analgesia and intrapartum maternal fever.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the relationship between intrapartum maternal fever and the duration and dosage of patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA). METHODS: This observational study included 159 pregnant women who voluntarily accepted PCEA. During labor, patients with body temperature ≥ 38 °C were classified into the Fever group, (n = 42), and those with body temperature < 38 °C were classified into the No-fever group (n = 117). The outcome measures included the duration of PCEA, number of PCEA, and total PCEA amount. Body temperature and parturient variables, including interpartum fever status and the duration of any fever were monitored. RESULTS: The total PCEA duration and total PCEA amount in the Fever group were significantly higher than the corresponding values in the No-fever group (both, p < 0.05). The duration of fever was weakly correlated with the duration of PCEA (R2 = 0.08) and the total PCEA amount (R2 = 0.05) (both, p < 0.05). The total and effective PCEA were higher in the Fever group than in the No-fever group (both, p < 0.05). The total PCEA duration and total PCEA amount were positively correlated with the incidence of fever (both, p < 0.05). The diagnostic cutoff value for fever was 383 min, with a sensitivity of 78.6% and specificity of 57.3%. The mean temperature-time curves showed that parturients who developed fever had a steeper rise in temperature. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that there were weak time- and dose-dependent correlations between PCEA and maternal fever during delivery. A total PCEA duration exceeding 6.3 h was associated with an increase in the duration of maternal intrapartum fever.

The association between labour epidural case volume and the rate of accidental dural puncture.

Accidental dural puncture is a recognised complication of labour epidural placement and can cause a debilitating headache. We examined the association between labour epidural case volume and accidental dural puncture rate in specialist anaesthetists and anaesthesia trainees. We performed a retrospective cohort study of labour epidural and combined spinal-epidural nerve blocks performed between 1 July 2013 and 31 December 2017 at Waitemata District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand. The mean (SD) annual number of obstetric epidural and combined spinal-epidural procedures for high-case volume specialists was 44.2 (15.0), and for low-case volume specialists was 10.0 (6.8), after accounting for caesarean section combined spinal-epidural procedures. Analysis of 7976 labour epidural and combined spinal-epidural procedure records revealed a total of 92 accidental dural punctures (1.2%). The accidental dural puncture rate (95%CI) in high-case volume specialists was 0.6% (0.4-0.9%) and in low-case volume specialists 2.4% (1.4-3.9%), indicating probable skill decay. The odds of accidental dural puncture were 3.77 times higher for low- compared with high-case volume specialists (95%CI 1.72-8.28, p = 0.001). Amongst trainees, novices had a significantly higher accidental dural puncture complication rate (3.1%) compared with registrars (1.2%), OR (95%CI) 0.39 (0.18-0.84), p = 0.016, or fellows (1.1%), 0.35 (0.16-0.76), p = 0.008. Accidental dural puncture complication rates decreased once trainees progressed past the 'novice' training stage.

The effect of initiating neuraxial analgesia service on the rate of cesarean delivery in Hubei, China: a 16-month retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: No Pain Labor &Delivery (NPLD) is a nongovernmental project to increase access to safe neuraxial analgesia through specialized training. This study explores the change in overall cesarean delivery (CD) rate and maternal request CD(MRCD) rate in our hospital after the initiation of neuraxial analgesia service (NA). METHODS: NA was initiated in May 1st 2015 by the help of NPLD. Since then, the application of NA became a routine operation in our hospital, and every parturient can choose to use NA or not. The monthly rates of NA, CD, MRCD, multiparous women, intrapartum CD, episiotomy, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), operative vaginal delivery and neonatal asphyxia were analyzed from January 2015 to April 2016. RESULTS: The rate of NA in our hospital was getting increasingly higher from 26.1% in May 2015 to 44.6% in April 2016 (p < 0.001); the rate of CD was 48.1% (3577/7360) and stable from January to May 2015 (p>0.05), then decreased from 50.4% in May 2015 to 36.3% in April 2016 (p < 0.001); the rate of MRCD was 11.4% (406/3577) and also stable from January to May 2015 (p>0.05), then decreased from 10.8% in May 2015 to 5.7% in April 2016 (p < 0.001). At the same time, the rate of multiparous women remained unchanged during the 16 month of observation (p>0.05). There was a negative correlation between the rate of NA and rate of overall CD, r = - 0.782 (95%CI [- 0.948, - 0.534], p<0.001), and between the utilization rate of NA and rate of MRCD, r = - 0.914 (95%CI [- 0.989, - 0.766], p<0.001). The rates of episiotomy, PPH, operative vaginal delivery and neonatal asphyxia in women who underwent vaginal delivery as well as the rates of intrapartum CD, neonatal asphyxia, and PPH in women who underwent CD remained unchanged, and there was no correlation between the rate of NA and anyone of those rates from January 1st 2015 to April 30th 2016 (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the rates of CD and MRCD in our department were significantly decreased from May 1st 2015 to April 30th 2016, which may be due to the increasing use of NA during vaginal delivery with the help of NPLD.

[Effects of double-catheter epidural analgesia by lidocaine injection respectively on the delivery outcomes and maternal-infant complications for persistent posterior or lateral occipital position of protracted active phase].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of dual-tube epidural segmental injection of lidocaine analgesia on the delivery outcome and maternal and infant complications of persistent posterior occipital position postpartum or lateral occipital position postpartum patients with protracted active phase. Methods: The full and single-term primiparas (n=216, 37 to 42 weeks gestation, 22 to 35 years) diagnosed as persistent posterior or lateral occipital position during the active period were selected from the Department of Obstetrics of Qingdao Municipal Hospital from January 2015 to October 2019. The subjects were randomly assigned into two groups: double-tube epidural block group (n=108) and single-tube epidural block group (n=108), 1% lidocaine was used for epidural analgesia respectively under ultrasound guidance. Senior midwife or obstetricians implement new partogram, and guide women to perform position management, and push or rotate the fetal head in a timely manner. Observation indicators: general condition, the use of non-pharmacological analgesic measures, analgesia related conditions and pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score, delivery-related indicator, cesarean section indication, anesthesia-related indicator, maternal and child complications. Results: (1) General condition: the age, weight, height, gestational age, the ratio of persistent lateral or posterior occipital position, cephalic score, and neonatal birth weight between the two groups of women were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). (2) The use of non-pharmacological analgesic measures: the women's Lamaze breathing method, Doula delivery companionship, percutaneous electrical stimulation, and other measures between two groups were compared, and there were not significant differences (all P>0.05). (3) Analgesia related conditions and VAS scores of women undergoing vaginal delivery: compared with the single-tube epidural block group (n=40), the second-partum time of the women in the double-tube epidural block group (n=59) was significantly shortened [(124±44) vs (86±33) minutes, P<0.01]; after 30 minutes of analgesia (4.4±0.5 vs 0.9±0.5, P<0.01), during forced labor in the second stage of labor (5.7±0.6 vs 1.3±0.4, P<0.01), the VAS scores of pain were also significantly reduced (P<0.01). (4) Labor-related indicators: compared with the single-tube epidural block group, the natural delivery rate (21.3% vs 49.1%) and the delivery experience satisfaction rate (51.9% vs 98.1%) of women in the double-tube epidural block group were significantly increased (all P<0.01), cesarean section rate (63.0% vs 45.4%), instrument assisted rate (15.7% vs 5.6%) decreased significantly (all P<0.05). (5) Cesarean section indications: compared with the single-tube epidural block group, the cesarean section rate caused by prolonged labor or protracted active phase of women in the double-tube epidural block group was significantly reduced (38.0% vs 22.2%； P<0.05), and the fetal distress, intrauterine infection, and social factors caused by cesarean section between the two groups were compared, while the differences were not statistically significant (all P>0.05).(6) Anesthesia related indexes: the block planes of the maternal upper tube administration in the double-tube epidural block group were mostly T7, T8, T9-L2 and L3,While,the block planes in the single-tube epidural block group were mostly T10, T11-S1, S2, S3, and the modified Bromage score were all 0. (7) Maternal and child complications: compared with the single-tube epidural block group, the postpartum hemorrhage rate (18.5% vs 7.4%), the perineal lateral cut rate (20.4% vs 5.6%), the neonatal asphyxia rate (12.0% vs 3.7%), ICU rate of transferred neonates (13.9% vs 4.6%) in the double-tube epidural block group were significantly reduced (all P<0.05). Soft birth canal injury rate, puerperal disease rate and neonatal birth rate between two groups were compared, and there were not statistically significant differences (all P>0.05). Conclusion: Dual-tube epidural segmental injection of lidocaine analgesia could increase the natural delivery rate of women with posterior occipital or lateral occipital position with active stagnation, reduce the rate of cesarean section and the rate of transvaginal instruments, and reduce the complications of mother and child.

Obstetric analgesia in labor and its association with neonatal outcomes.

OBJETIVE: To investigate the association between analgesia during labor and occurrence of neonatal outcomes. METHOD: Retrospective cohort study with medical records of 850 parturient. The exposure variable of interest was receiving pharmacological analgesia during labor and neonatal outcomes were: one- and five-minute Apgar, resuscitation maneuvers and referral of the newborn to Neonatal ICU. A logistic regression was carried out to obtain Odds Ratios and 95% confidence interval, with adjustment for confounding factors. RESULTS: Among the women studied, 35% received analgesia and this use was associated with a greater chance of neonatal outcomes such as one-minute Apgar < 7 (p <0.0001), resuscitation maneuvers (p <0.001) and referral to the Neonatal ICU (p = 0.004), mostly were among low-risk pregnant women, even after adjustments. CONCLUSION: The use of pharmacological analgesia during labor is associated with one-minute Apgar < 7, resuscitation maneuvers and referral to the Neonatal ICU.

The provision of epidural analgesia during labor according to maternal birthplace: a Norwegian register study.

BACKGROUND: The provision of epidural analgesia during labor is ideally a shared decision between the woman and her health care provider. However, immigrant characteristics such as maternal birthplace could affect decision-making and thus access to pain relief. We aimed to assess disparities in the provision of epidural analgesia in planned vaginal birth according to maternal region of birth. METHODS: We performed a nation-wide register study of 842,496 live-born singleton deliveries in Norway between 2000 and 2015. Maternal birthplace was categorized according to the Global Burden of Disease framework. The provision of epidural analgesia was compared in regression models stratified by parity and mode of delivery. RESULTS: Compared to native-born women, primiparous women from Latin America/Caribbean countries with an instrumental vaginal delivery were most likely to be provided epidural analgesia (OR 2.12, 95%CI 1.69-2.66), whilst multiparous women from Sub-Saharan Africa with a spontaneous vaginal delivery were least likely to be provided epidural analgesia (OR 0.42, 95% C 0.39-0.44). Longer residence time was associated with a higher likelihood of being provided analgesia, whereas effects of maternal education varied by Global Burden of Disease group. CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in the likelihood of being provided epidural analgesia were observed by maternal birthplace. Further studies are needed to consider whether the identified disparities represent women's own preferences or if they are the result of heterogeneous access to analgesia during labor.

Nitrous Oxide Use During Labor: Satisfaction, Adverse Effects, and Predictors of Conversion to Neuraxial Analgesia.

INTRODUCTION: Women desire safe and effective choices for pain management during labor. Currently, neuraxial and opioid analgesia are the most common methods used in the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic characteristics, safety, and satisfaction in a cohort of parturients who used inhaled nitrous oxide (N2 O) analgesia and to determine predictors of conversion from N2 O to neuraxial analgesia. METHODS: This was a prospective chart review study. Individuals aged at least 18 years who used inhaled N2 O during the first or second stage of labor between March 1, 2016, and July 23, 2017, on the labor and delivery unit of one academic medical center (N = 463) and their neonates were included. Data describing maternal and neonatal factors are reported. Logistic regression and chi-square tests were used to model the effects of oxytocin augmentation, labor induction, parity, prior cesarean birth, pre-N2 O cervical dilatation, and post-N2 O cervical dilatation on the odds of conversion from N2 O to neuraxial analgesia. RESULTS: In this cohort, 31% who chose N2 O for analgesia did not convert to any other analgesic method. Significant positive predictors for conversion from N2 O to neuraxial analgesia included labor induction (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% CI, 1.7-5.0), oxytocin augmentation (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.6-6.0), and labor after cesarean (OR, 6.4; 95% CI, 2.5-16.5). Multiparity (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.6) and post-N2 O cervical dilatation (OR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.7-0.9) were negative predictors. Adverse effects related to N2 O use during labor were rare (8%) and were not a significant reason for conversion to neuraxial analgesia. Parturients had moderately high satisfaction with N2 O for pain management (11-point scale, mean [SD], 7.4 [2.9]). Five-minute Apgar scores were 7 or greater in 97.8% of the newborns. DISCUSSION: Understanding predictors of conversion from inhaled N2 O to neuraxial analgesia may assist perinatal care providers in their discussions with women about analgesia options during labor. N2 O is a useful, safe option for labor analgesia in the United States.

The effect of antenatal exercise on delivery outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Practicing different forms of exercises during pregnancy could have beneficial effects on maternal outcomes during labor. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of antenatal exercise on the duration of the delivery. SEARCH STRATEGY: Electronic databases including Web of Science, SCOPUS, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and PubMed were searched using the relevant keywords during August 2019. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared any type of antenatal exercise versus no exercise in women who had vaginal delivery. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were extracted from eligible studies and pooled in a meta-analysis model. Mean Difference (MD) was used in continuous outcomes, while Risk Ratio (RR) was used to deal with dichotomous outcomes. The main outcome was the duration of the first and second stages of labor while the secondary outcomes included the rate of perineal lacerations and analgesia request by women. RESULTS: Exercise significantly reduced the duration of second stage of labor (SMD= -0.82, 95 % CI [-1.48, -0.16], p = 0.01). No significant difference was noticed regarding the duration of the first stage of labor, perineal lacerations and request for analgesia. CONCLUSION: Antenatal exercise could reduce the duration of the second stage of labor with racial differences.

Birth preparation acupuncture for normalising birth: An analysis of NHS service routine data and proof of concept.

A number of studies show that acupuncture may help with labour and delivery. An NHS maternity acupuncture service providing birth preparation acupuncture has assessed its routine hospital maternity annual data from 2014 to 2016 to see what effect it had on labour and delivery outcomes. The data from this service was analysed and women who had birth preparation acupuncture were compared with those who did not receive it. Maternal age, parity and socio-economic status were considered confounders and were adjusted for in the analysis. Women who received acupuncture had more normal births (less surgical births) [OR 0.76 (0.64, 0.91)], required less intrapartum analgesia [OR 0.74 (0.63, 0.86)], fewer components of an induction of labour [OR 0.74 (0.61, 0.91)] and a reduced length of a hospital stay [OR 0.91 (0.87, 0.95)]. The patients highly valued the availability of acupuncture within the maternity service as it enhanced their patient journey.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? Numerous studies provide evidence for the effects of acupuncture in normalising pregnancy and birth. These effects include musculoskeletal preparation of the pelvis, cervical ripening, enhancing endogenous oxytocin release, and analgesic properties.What do the results of this study add? Our analysis shows that women who received birth preparation acupuncture had fewer surgical births, required less intrapartum analgesia, less components of induction of labour and had a reduced length of hospital stay, supporting the use of maternity acupuncture in normalising birth outcomes.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The findings show that acupuncture, by potentially normalising birth, may lead to reductions in costs of service. Further, additional research is required to see whether acupuncture is cost effective and could have an adjunctive role as a complementary therapy for improving birth outcomes and a woman's experience of childbirth.

Comparison of different methods of measuring angle of progression in prediction of labor outcome.

OBJECTIVES: First, to compare the manual sagittal and parasagittal and automated parasagittal methods of measuring the angle of progression (AoP) by transperineal ultrasound during labor, and, second, to develop models for the prediction of time to delivery and need for Cesarean section (CS) for failure to progress (FTP) in a population of patients undergoing induction of labor. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of transperineal ultrasound in a cohort of 512 women with a singleton pregnancy undergoing induction of labor. A random selection of 50 stored images was assessed for inter- and intraobserver reliability of AoP measurements using the manual sagittal and parasagittal and automated parasagittal methods. In cases of vaginal delivery, univariate linear, multiple linear and quantile regression analyses were performed to predict time to delivery. Univariate and multivariate binomial logistic regression analyses were performed to predict CS for FTP in the first stage of labor. RESULTS: The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the manual parasagittal method for a single observer was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.95-0.98) and for two observers it was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.93-0.98), indicating good reliability. The ICC for the sagittal method for a single observer was 0.93 (95% CI, 0.88-0.96) and for two observers it was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.58-0.84), indicating moderate reliability for a single observer and poor reliability between two observers. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated narrower limits of agreement for the manual parasagittal approach than for the sagittal approach for both a single and two observers. The automated parasagittal method failed to capture an image in 19% of cases. The mean difference in AoP measurements between the sagittal and manual parasagittal methods was 11°. In pregnancies resulting in vaginal delivery, 54% of the variation in time to delivery was explained in a model combining parity, epidural and syntocinon use during labor and the sonographic findings of fetal head position and AoP. In the prediction of CS for FTP in the first stage of labor, a model which combined maternal factors with the sonographic measurements of AoP and estimated fetal weight was superior to one utilizing maternal factors alone (area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve, 0.80 vs 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: First, the method of measuring AoP with the greatest reliability is the manual parasagittal technique and future research should focus on this technique. Second, over half of the variation in time to vaginal delivery can be explained by a model that combines maternal factors, pregnancy characteristics and ultrasound findings. Third, the ability of AoP to provide clinically useful prediction of CS for FTP in the first stage of labor is limited. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Obstetric analgesia in labor and its association with neonatal outcomes / Analgesia obstétrica en el trabajo de parto y su asociación con resultados neonatales / Analgesia obstétrica no trabalho de parto e sua associação com desfechos neonatais

ABSTRACT Objetives: To investigate the association between analgesia during labor and occurrence of neonatal outcomes. Methods: Retrospective cohort study with medical records of 850 parturient. The exposure variable of interest was receiving pharmacological analgesia during labor and neonatal outcomes were: one- and five-minute Apgar, resuscitation maneuvers and referral of the newborn to Neonatal ICU. A logistic regression was carried out to obtain Odds Ratios and 95% confidence interval, with adjustment for confounding factors. Results: Among the women studied, 35% received analgesia and this use was associated with a greater chance of neonatal outcomes such as one-minute Apgar < 7 (p <0.0001), resuscitation maneuvers (p <0.001) and referral to the Neonatal ICU (p = 0.004), mostly were among low-risk pregnant women, even after adjustments. Conclusions: The use of pharmacological analgesia during labor is associated with one-minute Apgar < 7, resuscitation maneuvers and referral to the Neonatal ICU.

RESUMEN Objetivos: Investigar la asociación entre la analgesia en el trabajo de parto y la aparición de resultados neonatales. Métodos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo con datos de 850 parturientas. La exposición fue recibir analgesia farmacológica en el trabajo de parto, resultados: Apgar del primer y quinto minuto < 7, maniobras de reanimación y derivación a la UCIN. La regresión logística se utilizó para obtener el Odds Ratio (OR) y el intervalo de confianza del 95% (IC95%), ajustado por variables de confusión. Resultados: De las mujeres estudiadas, el 35% recibió analgesia y su uso se asoció con una mayor probabilidad de resultados como: Apgar en el primer minuto < 7 (p<0,0001), maniobras de reanimación (p<0,001) y derivación a la UCIN (p=0,004). Conclusiones: el uso de analgesia farmacológica durante el trabajo de parto se asoció con Apgar < 7 en el primer minuto, maniobras de reanimación y derivación a la UCIN.

RESUMO Objetivos: Investigar a associação entre analgesia no trabalho de parto e ocorrência de desfechos neonatais. Métodos: Estudo de coorte retrospectiva com dados de prontuários de 850 parturientes. A exposição foi receber analgesia farmacológica no trabalho de parto e os desfechos: Apgar do primeiro e quinto minuto < 7, manobras de reanimação e encaminhamento para Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal (UTI). Utilizou-se regressão logística para obter Odds Ratio (OR) e intervalo de 95% de confiança (IC95%), sendo ajustados por confundidores. Resultados: Das mulheres estudadas, 35% receberam analgesia e seu uso esteve associado a maior chance de desfechos, como: Apgar do primeiro minuto < 7 (p<0,0001), manobras de reanimação (p<0,001) e encaminhamento para UTI Neonatal (p=0,004), principalmente entre gestantes de risco habitual, mesmo após ajustes. Conclusões: O uso de analgesia farmacológica durante o trabalho de parto foi associado a Apgar do primeiro minuto < 7, manobras de reanimação e encaminhamento para UTI neonatal.

A ten-year retrospective study of post-dural puncture headache in 32,655 obstetric patients.

PURPOSE: Accidental dural puncture and post-dural puncture headache are well-known complications of neuraxial anesthesia in parturients. The primary goal of this study was to identify the rate of post-dural puncture headache and epidural blood patch in all parturients who received a neuraxial anesthetic during a ten-year period at an academic tertiary-care medical centre. A secondary goal was to identify any delay in hospital discharge due to a post-dural puncture headache. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients who received a neuraxial anesthetic on the labour and delivery unit at Stony Brook Medical Center from 1 January, 2006 to 31 December, 2015. Standardized neuraxial anesthesia equipment was used throughout this period. Chart reviews were conducted on all patients who received a neuraxial anesthetic and had an accidental dural puncture and/or developed a post-dural puncture headache. RESULTS: Of the 32,655 neuraxial anesthetics performed, 298 (0.9%) patients experienced a post- dural puncture headache. Analysis of all patients who developed a post-dural puncture headache showed that 150 (50.3%) patients received one or more epidural blood patches. Overall, 19 (0.06%) patients had a delay in hospital discharge due to a post-dural puncture headache. CONCLUSIONS: We showed a relatively low incidence (< 1%) of post-dural puncture headache following neuraxial anesthesia in parturients at an academic tertiary-care medical centre. Patients that rated their post-dural puncture headache as very severe were more likely to undergo at least one epidural blood patch procedure. Post-dural puncture headache is a well-known complication of neuraxial anesthesia, and may lead to a delay in hospital discharge.