• Laura Goetzl, Jose Rivers, Israel Zighelboim, Ashutosh Wali, Martina Badell, and Maya S Suresh.
• Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA. goetzl@musc.edu
• Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Mar 1;109(3):687-90.

ObjectiveTo examine maternal temperature changes after epidural analgesia.MethodsA prospective cohort of nulliparas at term was monitored with hourly maternal tympanic temperatures after epidural analgesia (n=99). Temperature response after epidural analgesia was examined in the group as a whole. Subsequently, mean maternal temperature curves were compared between women who remained afebrile throughout labor (n=77) and women who developed intrapartum fever with body temperature greater than 100.4 degrees F (n=22). Baseline maternal characteristics were assessed.ResultsWomen who later developed intrapartum fever had a higher mean temperature within 1 hour after epidural analgesia. In contrast, women who remained afebrile had no increase in core temperature. During the first 4 hours after epidural analgesia initiation, women who later develop intrapartum fever have an increase in mean tympanic temperature of 0.33 degrees F per hour.ConclusionEpidural analgesia is not associated with increased temperature in the majority of women. Hyperthermia is an abnormal response confined to a minority subset, which occurs immediately after exposure. Our findings do not support a universal perturbation of maternal thermoregulation after epidural analgesia.Level Of EvidenceII.

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