The presence of presumed postdural puncture headache after neuraxial anesthesia (epidural or spinal) in childbirth is associated with an increased risk for being diagnosed with an intracranial subdural hematoma.
Peripartum neuraxial analgesia may not be associated with an increased risk for multiple sclerosis relapse.
Use of neuraxial analgesia for labor varies across US states, but the causes underlying those variations are unclear.
Uniport and multiport wire-reinforced flexible catheters have similar analgesic efficacy for labor epidural analgesia.
Despite lower reported effectiveness for labor pain, the degree of patient satisfaction in women who received nitrous oxide is similar to that of women who received neuraxial modalities.
Women who obtain good pain relief during labor may have a lower risk of postpartum depression.
The pregnant patient with rheumatoid arthritis may need to have pain medication changed due to potential effects on the fetus.
This randomized, controlled study found that women assigned to a PO patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) regimen after c/s had comparable rates of pain control as compared to patients receiving standard parental analgesia for postoperative pain management.
