Optimal dose of an anesthetic in epidural anesthesia and its effect on labor duration and administration of vacuum extractor and forceps

Abstract

This study examined the factors that influence the optimal dose of epidural anesthesia (EA), its effect on labor duration, and the frequency of vacuum and forceps administration at the end of delivery. The study group included 100 women who underwent vaginal delivery with EA with administration of 0.125% bupivacaine. A control group included 100 vaginally delivered women, without EA administration. In both groups delivery was stimulated by syntocinon. The level of labor pain influenced the optimal bolus dose of EA more than the body mass. However, the maintenance dose was influenced by both of these factors equally. Labor in the study group was somewhat shorter. In the group with EA the percentage of forceps and vacuum extractor application was twice that in the control group. There was no difference in average value of 5-minute Apgar scor in newborns.