Epidural anesthesia

-

We have all heard about epidural anesthesia, especially when we talk about delivery or caesarean section.

Although it is considered the safest form of anesthesia and produces fewer side effects in pregnant women at the time of delivery, not all defend it.

Those who support its use affirm that it does not interfere at all in the conscience and the mental lucidity of the mother and relieves pain in its entirety. However, its detractors observe a risk in medically manipulated deliveries.

Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article.

Index

Epidural anesthesia

Indications of the epidural

Epidural anesthesia, also known as peridural anesthesia, consists in the introduction of a local anesthetic in the epidural space, so that the nerve endings are blocked at the level of the bone marrow, specifically at the exit.

Lumbar epidural

It was discovered by the Spanish Fidel Pagés in 1921.

This epidural puncture technique can be performed at several levels:

  • Caudal epidural
  • Cervical epidural
  • Lumbar epidural

The most frequent one in the childbirth is the lumbar puncture, that is made between the two lumbar vertebrae and allows the anesthesia of the abdominal area.

This anesthesia is indicated in abdominal procedures, especially at the infraumbical level, such as births, inguinal hernias and bladder or testicular interventions.

Delivery with epidural

Usually the drugs introduced are local anesthetics and their effect varies depending on the dose administered. At small doses they eliminate pain and at large doses can cause muscle blockage and paralysis.



Pain and Gain

This alternative to relieve pain has advantages and disadvantages, and with all this its popularity continues to grow. We must therefore know it and with all the information decide consciously, whether we want it or not.

  • Not in all cases the epidural is effective.
  • Its application implies that the delivery will be medically manipulated from the beginning and there are more chances of episiotomy and forceps delivery.
  • The concentration of the anesthetic can produce a loss of muscle strength and the sensation of contractions. The result is that the second stage of labor is slower, because the mother will have to depend completely on the instructions of the midwife to know when to push.

Among the advantages we find the following:

  • Its effect lasts about 2 hours and it is possible to reinforce itself if necessary or make the effect disappear as the birth approaches so that you can completely control this last moment.
  • It tends to slow down, which can be useful.
Avoid pain during childbirth
  • Relieves pain completely without blocking any of the mental faculties and allows active participation in case of cesarean.
  • It avoids the need to apply another anesthetic if the use of forceps, suction cup or episiotomy is required.

Contraindications

Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of this type of anesthesia, the pregnant woman can choose whether or not she wants to place her for delivery. To make this decision, it is important to follow the advice of the doctor who has carried the pregnancy and take into account the conditions of delivery.

The decision can be made during pregnancy and be modified at the time of delivery, because some women prefer not to use it but necessarily the doctor finally indicates their recommendation.

There are some specific circumstances for which the epidural is contraindicated:

  • Patients with obesity
  • Patients with heart disease
  • When in labor the dilation is excessively advanced
  • Patients with tattoos in the lower back.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gonal-f pen: doses of 300, 450 and 900 - How does it apply?

-
Gonal-f is a hormonal drug used in assisted reproduction treatments to cause the development of multiple follicles in the ovary. It is composed of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a gonadotropin that acts in the menstrual cycle of women. There are several formats of Gonal-f in the market, but one of the best known is the one that is administered with a pen-type injector. Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index 1. Composition and presentation 2. Mode of administration 3. Questions from users 3.1. How should the pen of Gonal-f be preserved? 3.2. What is the use of the Gonal-f pen? 3.3. What happens if I miss a day of giving the dose of Gonal-f? 4. Recommended reading 5. Bibliography 6. Authors and collaborators Questions from users surrogate pregnancy in Tenerife(Spain)
Read more

Fertility treatments in the couple: how to get pregnant?

-
Image
According to the latest report of the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF), in 2016 were carried out 138,553 cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and 36,463 cycles of artificial insemination (AI), which resulted in a total of 37,503 babies born . This represents an increase of 8% in the use of assisted reproduction techniques with respect to the previous year, which shows that more and more couples need help to have the opportunity to become parents. After a year of sexual intercourse without achieving pregnancy, a couple is considered to have sterility problems, so it is advisable to start doing diagnostic tests and determine the most appropriate assisted reproduction treatment in each case, as we will discuss throughout this post. Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index 1. Custom fertility treatments 2. Artificial insemination (AI) 3. In vitro fertilization (IVF) 3.1. ICSI 3.2. DGP 4. Questions from users 4.1. How muc...
Read more

What is the purpose of the ovitrelle in a fiv treatment?

-
Image
Ovitrelle is a drug that contains recombinant hCG used in assisted reproduction to stimulate ovulation and thus favor pregnancy in the treatments of artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index What is the ovitrelle for in an IVF treatment? 1. Composition 2. Instructions for use 3. Indications and contraindications 4. Risks and adverse effects 5. Ovitrelle and pregnancy test 6. Questions from users 6.1. Is it normal to give ovitrelle after the transfer of the embryos? 6.2. Does the ovitrelle advance the rule? 6.3. Does alcohol consumption negatively affect the effect of ovitrelle? 6.4. What is the price of the ovitrelle ?, does it go into social security? 6.5. Should it be kept in a refrigerator or at room temperature? Composition The active principle of ovitrelle is choriogonadotropin alfa, also called recombinant hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). The qual...
Read more