Infrared thermography to assess dermatomal levels of labor epidural analgesia with 1  mg/mL ropivacaine plus 0.5 µg/mL sufentanil: a prospective cohort study

Epidural analgesia is considered the gold standard for labor analgesia1 and is widely used.2 Inadequate and failed epidural analgesia, as shown by more clinician-administered boluses during labor, predicts failed conversion of epidural labor analgesia to anesthesia for cesarean delivery,3 and should be detected early. Although the effectiveness of epidural analgesia may be assessed using verbal pain scores and testing the upper limit of the sensory block using cold sensation, in some women these assessments are unreliable and it would be useful to have a tool for objective assessment of epidural spread of local anesthetic.
Source: International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research