Satisfaction, control and XXXX relief: short- and long-term assessments in a randomised controlled trial of low-dose and traditional epidurals and a non-epidural comparison group.

@entity1 @entity1341 @entity1337 @entity158
BACKGROUND: Childbirth is an important life event for which a positive experience is important to many @entity1 . METHODS: As secondary outcomes from the randomised controlled Comparative Obstetric Mobile Epidural Trial, various aspects of satisfaction were assessed in @entity1 who had one of three types of regional @entity1337 (two of which were low-dose techniques and a high-dose control using 0.25% epidural @entity1341 ) and a comparison group who did not have epidural @entity1337 , shortly after delivery and 12 months later. RESULTS: The predominant finding was satisfaction with spontaneous vaginal delivery whatever the mode of @entity1337 . The overall immediate and long-term satisfaction was similar for all three neuraxial techniques. Satisfaction with the speed of @entity158 relief and the amount of mobility were significantly greater for the combined spinal-epidural technique compared with the low-dose infusion (P<0.001). The degree of control felt by @entity1 who had combined spinal-epidural @entity1337 was greater than with the high-dose (P<0.05). @entity1 in the non-epidural comparison group did not report a greater feeling of control. Among those who delivered spontaneously, more @entity1 in the combined spinal-epidural group (30%) felt in full control compared with the high-dose group (17%) (P<0.05). By comparison 22% in the low-dose infusion group and only 15% who had no epidural felt in full control. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst satisfaction with the experience of childbirth appears intimately related to the attainment of a spontaneous delivery, mobile epidurals enhance @entity1 's feeling of control in labour and are popular for future choice of regional @entity1337 .
