Biomaterial Database

Obstetric analgesia and fetal aortic blood flow during labour. 1987

A Lindblad, and J Bernow, and K Marsál

Fetal aortic blood flow was studied in 50 women during labour, using a method combining real-time ultrasonography and a pulsed Doppler technique. Eleven women had no analgesia, 24 women received 75-100 mg pethidine intramuscularly, 12 epidural analgesia with 0.25% bupivacaine and three paracervical block with 0.125% bupivacaine. Fetal aortic blood flow increased during labour from 200 to 245 ml/min/kg in the group without analgesia (P less than 0.05) and from 211 to 236 ml/min/kg in the group with epidural analgesia (P less than 0.05) but decreased insignificantly from 216 to 204 ml/min/kg after pethidine. After paracervical block the aortic blood flow fell in two out of three fetuses. Not only is epidural analgesia the most effective means of pain relief during labour, it is also the type of obstetric analgesia that interferes least with the physiological response to labour in terms of its effect on the fetal blood flow.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007743	Labor, Obstetric	The repetitive uterine contraction during childbirth which is associated with the progressive dilation of the uterine cervix (CERVIX UTERI). Successful labor results in the expulsion of the FETUS and PLACENTA. Obstetric labor can be spontaneous or induced (LABOR, INDUCED).	Obstetric Labor
D008431	Maternal-Fetal Exchange	Exchange of substances between the maternal blood and the fetal blood at the PLACENTA via PLACENTAL CIRCULATION. The placental barrier excludes microbial or viral transmission.	Transplacental Exposure,Exchange, Maternal-Fetal,Exposure, Transplacental,Maternal Fetal Exchange
D008614	Meperidine	A narcotic analgesic that can be used for the relief of most types of moderate to severe pain, including postoperative pain and the pain of labor. Prolonged use may lead to dependence of the morphine type; withdrawal symptoms appear more rapidly than with morphine and are of shorter duration.	Isonipecain,Pethidine,Demerol,Dolantin,Dolargan,Dolcontral,Dolin,Dolosal,Dolsin,Lidol,Lydol,Meperidine Hydrochloride,Operidine EPJ-I,Operidine EPJ I
D011247	Pregnancy	The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.	Gestation,Pregnancies
D001783	Blood Flow Velocity	A value equal to the total volume flow divided by the cross-sectional area of the vascular bed.	Blood Flow Velocities,Flow Velocities, Blood,Flow Velocity, Blood,Velocities, Blood Flow,Velocity, Blood Flow
D001794	Blood Pressure	PRESSURE of the BLOOD on the ARTERIES and other BLOOD VESSELS.	Systolic Pressure,Diastolic Pressure,Pulse Pressure,Pressure, Blood,Pressure, Diastolic,Pressure, Pulse,Pressure, Systolic,Pressures, Systolic
D002045	Bupivacaine	A widely used local anesthetic agent.	1-Butyl-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-2-piperidinecarboxamide,Bupivacain Janapharm,Bupivacain-RPR,Bupivacaina Braun,Bupivacaine Anhydrous,Bupivacaine Carbonate,Bupivacaine Hydrochloride,Bupivacaine Monohydrochloride, Monohydrate,Buvacaina,Carbostesin,Dolanaest,Marcain,Marcaine,Sensorcaine,Svedocain Sin Vasoconstr,Bupivacain RPR
D005260	Female		Females
D005312	Fetal Blood	Blood of the fetus. Exchange of nutrients and waste between the fetal and maternal blood occurs via the PLACENTA. The cord blood is blood contained in the umbilical vessels (UMBILICAL CORD) at the time of delivery.	Cord Blood,Umbilical Cord Blood,Blood, Cord,Blood, Fetal,Blood, Umbilical Cord,Bloods, Cord,Bloods, Fetal,Bloods, Umbilical Cord,Cord Blood, Umbilical,Cord Bloods,Cord Bloods, Umbilical,Fetal Bloods,Umbilical Cord Bloods
D006340	Heart Rate, Fetal	The heart rate of the FETUS. The normal range at term is between 120 and 160 beats per minute.	Fetal Heart Rate,Fetal Heart Rates,Heart Rates, Fetal,Rate, Fetal Heart,Rates, Fetal Heart