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Effects of Epidural Analgesia on Labor and the Infant

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Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook

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Abstract

Properly conducted epidural analgesia is generally quite safe and effective. However, even in the absence of complications, epidural blockade can have effects on the course of labor and on the baby. Regional anesthesia can affect the fetus indirectly through alterations in uterine perfusion and directly through placental transfer of drug. These effects are discussed in Chapters 3 and 5. This chapter discusses the three most important additional phenomena: effect on the progress of labor and mode of delivery, effect on maternal temperature, and effect on breastfeeding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Sanjay Datta (Professor of Anesthesia), Bhavani Shankar Kodali (Associate Professor of Anesthesia) & Scott Segal (Associate Professor of Anesthesia)

  2. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Sanjay Datta (Professor of Anesthesia), Bhavani Shankar Kodali (Associate Professor of Anesthesia) & Scott Segal (Associate Professor of Anesthesia)

Authors
  1. Sanjay Datta
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  2. Bhavani Shankar Kodali
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  3. Scott Segal
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Correspondence to Sanjay Datta .

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Datta, S., Kodali, B.S., Segal, S. (2010). Effects of Epidural Analgesia on Labor and the Infant. In: Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-88602-2_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-88602-2_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-88601-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-88602-2

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