The effect of epidural analgesia on maternal-neonatal outcomes: a retrospective study

Objectives: Epidural analgesia is commonly used for relieving labor pain in contemporary clinical practice. The rate of pregnant women who request epidural analgesia during labor has been increasing annually, leading to a debate on the effect of epidural analgesia on maternal or neonatal outcomes. Material and methods: The medical records of nulliparous women with a term singleton pregnancy from January to December 2019 at the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University were retrospectively reviewed. The women were divided into those who received epidural analgesia during delivery and those who did not receive it. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were assessed. Results: A total of 528 women met the inclusion criteria. The overall labor analgesia rate was 43.0% (227). Women with epidural analgesia had a significantly longer second stage [34.5 (22.8-65.3) vs 27.0 (18.0-41.3) min, p < 0.001] and total duration of labor [698.5 (493.5-875.0) vs 489.5 (344.0-676.3) min, p < 0.001] compared with those without epidural. There were no significant relationships between epidural analgesia and the normal vaginal delivery rate, the incidence of episiotomy, and other adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Epidural analgesia can prolong the second stage of labor, but this is no increased risk for both mother and neonate.