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. 2023 Jul 17;69(7):e20230500.
doi: 10.1590/1806-9282.20230500. eCollection 2023.

Labor analgesia and its impact on the maternal and perinatal outcomes

Georgeana Debs Guesine  1 , Marina Carvalho Paschoini  2 , Giselle Agreli Melo  1 , Edward Araujo Júnior  3   4 , Alberto Borges Peixoto  1   2
Affiliations

Labor analgesia and its impact on the maternal and perinatal outcomes

Georgeana Debs Guesine et al. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). .

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in parturients undergoing labor analgesia.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study in parturients who underwent labor analgesia. Parturients were categorized into three groups: Group 1 (n=83)-analgesia performed with cervical dilatation ≤4.0 cm; Group 2 (n=82)-analgesia performed with cervical dilatation between 5.0 and 8.0 cm; and Group 3 (n=83)-analgesia performed with cervical dilatation ≥9.0 cm.

Results: Analgesia in parturients with cervical dilatation ≥9.0 cm showed a higher prevalence and a 3.86-fold increase (OR 3.86; 95%CI 1.50-9.87; p=0.009) in the risk of forceps delivery. Analgesia in parturients with cervical dilatation ≤4.0 cm showed a higher prevalence and a 3.31-fold increase (OR 3.31; 95%CI 1.62-6.77; p=0.0016) in the risk of cesarean section. Analgesia in parturients with cervical dilatation ≥9.0 cm was associated with a higher prevalence of fetal bradycardia (20.7%), a need for neonatal oxygen therapy (6.1%), and a need for admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (4.9%). Analgesia in parturients with cervical dilatation ≤4 cm was associated with a higher prevalence of Apgar score <7 at 1st minute (44.6%).

Conclusion: Performing labor analgesia in parturients with cervical dilatation ≤4.0 or ≥9.0 cm was associated with a higher prevalence of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: the authors declare there is no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Correlation between the degree of cervical dilatation at the time of analgesia and the time to delivery (Spearman’s correlation test, p<0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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