To Study the Safety and Efficacy of Epidural Analgesia for Labour

Objective: To study the safety and efficacy of epidural analgesia for labour in our population Material & method: Record of epidural analgesia for labour pain at Hameed Latif Hospital for the year 2006 was retrieved from the prescribed proforma filled in by the anaesthesia residents for every patient. Data retrieved was fed in SPSS version 13.0 and was analyzed. Results: After reviewing the record of 1000 patients receiving epidural analgesia for labour pain following frequency distribution of complications was found: Numbness (16.4%), Shivering (7.8%), Blood tap (7.1%), Hypotension (2.5%), Dural tap (2.3%), Nausea & vomiting (2.1%), Urinary retention (2.0%), Backache (1.5%), Headache (1.4%) and Paresis (1.0%). Conclusion: Epidural analgesia during labour is an effective and safe method for providing pain relief.