The objectives of this study will be to compare epidural infusion management, specifically looking at infusion rate changes, in patients who receive forceps deliveries versus normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries. We will match patients based on time and date of delivery, as well as parity, in order to eliminate these variables as potential confounders.
Hypothesis:
Patients who require a decrease in their basal labor analgesia epidural infusion rate will have an increased incidence of forceps delivery.
Biospecimen Retention: None Retained
Biospecimen Description:
Estimated Enrollment: |
600 |
Study Start Date: |
January 2006 |
Study Completion Date: |
March 2006 |
Primary Completion Date: |
March 2006 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) |
The obstetrical anesthesia database will be queried for all forceps deliveries between the dates of January 2004 - January 2005. We anticipate that approximately 600 records of forceps delivery will be included. A matching cohort (equal number) of those having spontaneous vaginal deliveries will be examined. Subjects in the cohort group will be randomly chosen, matched for date of delivery and parity. The database will be queried for the following; maternal age, parity, gestational age, type of analgesia, changes in epidural infusion rate/ concentration, and supplemental bolus doses of local anesthesia. The data will be stripped of identification by the database manager Robert McCarthy (refer to attached letter) and entered into a secure computer which is password protected and maintained in the Department of Anesthesiology. The primary endpoint is to evaluate if decreasing the epidural infusion rate was associated with a forceps delivery. Variables will be compared using X2 and Mann-Whitney U test. A P< 0.05 will be required to reject the null hypothesis.