International journal of obstetric anesthesia
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Oct 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialComparison of epidural lidocaine and fentanyl to intrathecal sufentanil for analgesia in early labour.
A randomized, double-blind study was undertaken comparing an epidural test dose of lidocaine followed by 100 microg fentanyl (E-LF, n = 19) to combined spinal epidural sufentanil 10 microg (CSE-S, n = 21) in low risk women in early labour. The primary outcome measured was the duration of analgesia; secondary outcomes included the quality of analgesia, incidence and severity of pruritus, lower limb motor blockade, and the ability to ambulate. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. ⋯ The VAS for pruritus were higher in the CSE-S group (P < 0.05) but no patient requested treatment for pruritus. Mild motor weakness was more frequent in the E-LF group (5/19 versus 20/21, P < 0.05) and fewer patients in the E-LF group met criteria for ambulation (13/19 versus 20/21, P < 0.05). While both E-LF and CSE-S provide effective analgesia for women in early labour, the more rapid onset of analgesia, lower VAS pain scores, longer duration of action and lesser impact on ability to ambulate suggest advantages of CSE-S over E-LF.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Oct 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialDose response study of subarachnoid diamorphine for analgesia after elective caesarean section.
Subarachnoid diamorphine provides excellent analgesia after elective caesarean section but the optimum dose is still uncertain. We therefore investigated the effects of three regimens of subarachnoid diamorphine. Forty parturients were assigned to one of four groups. ⋯ The mean (SD) dose of PCA morphine used over 24 h was 39.4 (14.7), 25.6 (16.5), 21.6 (15.9) and 3.1 (3.6) mg, and mean time to first use of morphine was 1.6 (0.5), 3.0 (1.4), 3.4 (2.4) and 14.1 (9.4) h, in the 0, 0.1 mg, 0.2 mg and 0.3 mg groups respectively. Side-effects of pruritus, nausea and vomiting were dependent on the dose of spinal diamorphine but did not require treatment in any patients. We conclude that 0.3 mg subarachnoid diamorphine provides significantly better postoperative pain relief than the smaller doses with an acceptable increase in side-effects.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Oct 1999
Anaesthetic management of parturients with the antiphospholipid syndrome: a review of 27 cases.
A description of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and associated maternal and fetal complications is presented along with a review of the management at National Women's Hospital (NWH), Auckland, of 27 pregnancies complicated by APS. Because the obstetric outcome for parturients with APS continues to improve, anaesthetists are more likely to become involved in their management. It is recommended that policies and protocols are implemented to avoid unnecessary denial of regional anaesthesia arising from confusion about any parturients anticoagulation status.