Skip to main content
Top

Open Access 20-11-2023 | Peridural Anesthesia | Maternal-Fetal Medicine

The influence of epidural anesthesia in pregnancies with scheduled vaginal breech delivery at term: a hospital-based retrospective analysis

Authors: Roman Allert, Dörthe Brüggmann, Florian J. Raimann, Nadja Zander, Frank Louwen, Lukas Jennewein

Published in: Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Login to get access

Abstract

Introduction

Epidural anesthesia is a well-established procedure in obstetrics for pain relief in labor and has been well researched as it comes to cephalic presentation. However, in vaginal intended breech delivery less research has addressed the influence of epidural anesthesia. The Greentop guideline on breech delivery states that there’s little evidence and recommends further evaluation.

Objective

The aim of this study was to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes in vaginally intended breech deliveries at term with and without an epidural anesthesia.

Design

This study was a retrospective cohort study.

Sample

This study included 2122 women at term with a singleton breech pregnancy from 37 + 0 weeks of pregnancy on and a birth weight of at least 2500 g at the obstetric department of University hospital Frankfurt from January 2007 to December 2018.

Methods

Neonatal and maternal outcome was analyzed and compared between women receiving “walking” epidural anesthesia and women without an epidural anesthesia.

Results

Fetal morbidity, measured with a modified PREMODA score, showed no significant difference between deliveries with (2.96%) or without (1.79%; p = 0.168) an epidural anesthesia. Cesarean delivery rates were significantly higher in deliveries with an epidural (35 vs. 26.2%, p = 0.0003), but after exclusion of multiparous women, cesarean delivery rates were not significantly different (40.2% cesarean deliveries with an epidural vs. 41.5%, p = 0.717). As compared to no epidurals, epidural anesthesia in vaginal delivery was associated with a significantly higher rate of manual assistance (33.8 versus 52.1%) and a longer duration of birth (223.7 ± 194 versus 516.2 ± 310 min) (both p < 0.0001)".

Conclusion

Epidural anesthesia can be offered as a safe option for pain relief without increasing neonatal or maternal morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, it is associated with a longer birth duration and manually assisted delivery.
Literature
3.
go back to reference Impey LWM et al (2017) Management of breech presentation. BJOG Int J Obstet Gynaecol 124(7):E152–E177 Impey LWM et al (2017) Management of breech presentation. BJOG Int J Obstet Gynaecol 124(7):E152–E177
5.
go back to reference A. C. on O (2006) Practice, ACOG Committee Opinion No. 340. Mode of term singleton breech delivery. Obstet Gynecol 108(1):235–237. A. C. on O (2006) Practice, ACOG Committee Opinion No. 340. Mode of term singleton breech delivery. Obstet Gynecol 108(1):235–237.
25.
go back to reference Hawkins JL et al (2010) Epidural analgesia for labor and delivery. N Engl J Med 362(16):1503–1510 CrossRefPubMed Hawkins JL et al (2010) Epidural analgesia for labor and delivery. N Engl J Med 362(16):1503–1510 CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
The influence of epidural anesthesia in pregnancies with scheduled vaginal breech delivery at term: a hospital-based retrospective analysis
Authors
Roman Allert
Dörthe Brüggmann
Florian J. Raimann
Nadja Zander
Frank Louwen
Lukas Jennewein
Publication date
20-11-2023
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics
Print ISSN: 0932-0067
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0711
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-023-07244-w