Objective: To explore the effect of patient-controlled lumbar epidural combined anesthesia with Doula for labor analgesia with ropivacaine and sufentanil, and its influence on the progress of labor, and outcomes of mother and infant.
Materials and methods: Two hundred parturients that requested labor analgesia were randomly selected by patient-controlled lumbar epidural combined anesthesia with Doula as the observation group, meanwhile another 200 parturients were selected as the control group without any analgesic measurements. Labor pain score, labor duration, blood gas analysis results, the incidence of cesarean section, neonatal asphyxia, and postpartum hemorrhage were compared between the two groups.
Results: Compared with the control group, labor analgesic effect was remarkable, the cesarean section rate was significantly reduced in observation group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05), but with respect to the duration of labor, maternal, postpartum hemorrhage, and neonatal asphyxia, there was no statistical significance between the two groups (p > 0.5). In the observation group regarding maternal and neonatal blood gas analysis results, PO2 was higher and PCO2 was lower than those in the control group. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Labor analgesia by patient-controlled lumbar epidural combined anesthesia accompanied with Doula with ropivacaine and sufentanil is effective, safe, reliable, has no adverse effects, and reduces cesarean section rate.