Assessment of Paracervical Nerve Block Anaesthesia during Labour
Br Med J 1970; 1 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.1.5695.526 (Published 28 February 1970) Cite this as: Br Med J 1970;1:526
- P. J. Murphy,
- J. D. Wright,
- T. B. Fitzgerald
Abstract
An assessment of paracervical nerve block anaesthesia was made in 118 women during labour using 0·5% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 parts of adrenaline added. The 82 multiparae were each given a single block and the 36 primigravidae a continuous block to try to provide the sole means of analgesia throughout the first stage of labour.
Only 48% of the primigravidae required no other form of analgesia, as against 72% of the multiparae.
Complications included a 17% incidence of maternal haemorrhage during insertion of the continuous needle, an overall fetal bradycardia rate of 11%, and two perinatal deaths following single paracervical block. It is concluded that the use of continuous paracervical block should be discontinued, and that amide-type local anaesthetic agents should not be used for single paracervical block.