IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 43 / Issue 5 / DOI: 10.12891/ceog3138.2016

Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.

Original Research
Analgesia: effects on the first and second stages of labor
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1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology San Salvatore Hospital in L'Aquila, University of L'Aquila, L’Aquila
2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Sant'Omero Hospital, University of L'Aquila, L’Aquila
3 Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L’Aquila (Italy)
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2016, 43(5), 718–722; https://doi.org/10.12891/ceog3138.2016
Published: 10 October 2016
Abstract

Background: This controlled observational study aimed at evaluating the effects of epidural analgesia on the first and second stages of delivery in nulliparous women, referred to the birth centers of the Sant’Omero “Val Vibrata” Hospital and the “San Salvatore” Hospital in L’Aquila, selected in accordance with specific inclusion criteria. Materials and Methods: Between May 1 st , 2012 and April 31 st , 2013, 363 patients were enrolled at the birth centres of the “Val Vibrata” Hospital in Sant’Omero (TE) and of the “San Salvatore” Hospital in L’Aquila. 139 patients received epidural analgesia during labor at the “Val Vibrata” Hospital; 224 patients constituted the control group and went through natural delivery without analgesia at the “Val Vibrata” and “San Salvatore” hospitals. Results: Dilation time was different in the two groups: in the group with analgesia, the median was 2.30 and 3.35 in the control group. The median expulsion time was 2.05 in the analgesia group and 0.40 in the control group. Discussion: The statistical analysis of the study has highlighted the fact the analgesia influences the dilation and expulsion time of labor, confirming on the one hand the clinical evidence, and on the other, adding important results that have not been analyzed by other scientific studies. The results have shown that in nulliparous women, with spontaneous onset of labor, analgesia causes a major reduction in the dilation time of the cervical canal with respect to the control group.
Keywords
Epidural analgesia
First stage of delivery
Second stage of delivery
Labor
Dilation
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