Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec;167(3):1109-1116.
doi: 10.1002/ijgo.15759. Epub 2024 Jul 5.

Effects of epidural analgesia at 1 cm cervical dilatation on multiparae: A retrospective cohort study using propensity score-matching

Shunbin Chen  1   2 , Chenhua Wu  2 , Xiaomei Zeng  2   3
Affiliations

Effects of epidural analgesia at 1 cm cervical dilatation on multiparae: A retrospective cohort study using propensity score-matching

Shunbin Chen et al. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of epidural analgesia (EA) administered at cervical dilatation of 1 cm on multiparae who underwent vaginal delivery.

Methods: This propensity score-matched retrospective cohort research was conducted between 2021 and 2022. All the singleton multiparae who had previous successful vaginal deliveries and epidural analgesia during this delivery were screened for eligibility. The primary outcome was the effect of EA on the duration of labor. The main secondary outcomes included the incidence of cesarean delivery and umbilical arterial pH.

Results: This study incorporated 686 multiparae who were divided into two cohorts: EA 1 (cervical dilatation = 1 cm, n = 166) and EA 2 (cervical dilatation >1 cm, n = 520). In the propensity score-matched cohort (including 164 women in each group), there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of cesarean delivery (4 [2.4%] vs 4 [2.4%], P = 1.000), umbilical arterial pH (7.28 ± 0.06 vs 7.28 ± 0.07, P = 0.550) and other secondary outcomes between the two groups. Based on a comparative assessment of the women who delivered vaginally to the Kaplan-Meier curves and propensity score-matching (including 160 women in each group), there was no statistical significance in the duration of the first, second and third stages of labor (log rank P, P = 0.811; P = 0.413; P = 0.773, respectively).

Conclusion: Initiation of epidural analgesia at cervical dilatation of 1 cm in multiparae did not cause adverse effects with regard to the duration of labor, increased cesarean deliveries, and bad neonatal outcomes.

Keywords: cervical dilation; cesarean delivery; epidural analgesia; labor stage; multiparae; propensity score‐matching.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

REFRENCES

    1. Anim‐Somuah M , Smyth RM , Cyna AM , Cuthbert A . Epidural versus non‐epidural or no analgesia for pain management in labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;5(5):Cd000331.
    1. Callahan EC , Lee W , Aleshi P , George RB . Modern labor epidural analgesia: implications for labor outcomes and maternal‐fetal health. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2023;228(5s):S1260‐S1269.
    1. Staikou C , Μakris A , Theodoraki K , et al. Current practice in obstetric anesthesia and analgesia in public hospitals of Greece: a 2016 National Survey. Balkan Med J. 2018;35(5):394‐397.
    1. Traynor AJ , Aragon M , Ghosh D , et al. Obstetric anesthesia workforce survey: a 30‐year update. Anesth Analg. 2016;122(6):1939‐1946.
    1. Wu J , Ling K , Song WT , Yao SL . Perspective on the low labor analgesia rate and practical solutions for improvement in China. Chin Med J. 2020;133(5):606‐608.