Evaluating the Effect of Dexmedetomidine Intravenous Infusion on Labor Pain Management in Primipar Term Pregnant Women

Abstract Background: The pain of labor is very severe. Most women prefer painless labor to routine labor if they are aware of the methods of analgesia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Dexmedetomidine intravenous infusion on labor pain management in primipar term pregnant women. Methods: In this Non-randomized clinical trial with control group, all primipar term pregnant women were enrolled in the study. In the intervention group, after the active phase of labor, Dexmedetomidine was given according to the protocol and continued until phase two of labor. The control group received no intervention to reduce pain. Patients in both groups were evaluated for, fetal heart rate, Apgar scores, vital signs, pain intensity and sedation score. Results: There were no significant difference in primary fetal heart rate, primary maternal hemodynamics, and mean Apgar scores of 1 and 5 minutes, between the two groups (p>0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean of fetal heart rate in different stages between two groups. Intra-group analysis in the intervention group showed that mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly decreased after drug administration but were in normal range. The active phase of labor in the intervention group was significantly shorter than the control group (p = 0.002). The mean VAS score after Dexmedetomidine administration decreased significantly from 9.25 at baseline to 4.61 after drug administration, 3.88 during labor and 1.88 after placental expulsion. The mean RSS score after Dexmedetomidine administration increased significantly from 1 at baseline to 2.05 after drug administration, 2.22 during labor and 2.05 after placental expulsion. Conclusion: Based on results, it seems that administration of Dexmedetomidine to manage labor pain with careful monitoring of mother and fetus is recommended. Due to limited studies, further larger and multicenter studies are needed to be performed.Trial registration: This study was registered on Iranian registry of clinical trials, identification number IRCT20161022030421N5, registered on February 2, 2019, https://irct.ir/trial/40134.