Background Early postoperative ambulation is associated with enhanced functional recovery, particularly in the postpartum population, but ambulation questionnaires are limited by recall bias. This observational study aims to objectively quantify ambulation after neuraxial anesthesia and analgesia for cesarean delivery and vaginal delivery, respectively, by using activity tracker technology. The hypothesis was that vaginal delivery is associated with greater ambulation during the first 24 h postdelivery, compared to cesarean delivery. Methods Parturients having first/second cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia or first/second vaginal delivery under epidural analgesia between July 2015 and December 2016 were recruited. Patients with significant comorbidities or postpartum complications were excluded, and participants received standard multimodal analgesia. Mothers were fitted with wrist-worn activity trackers immediately postdelivery, and the trackers were recollected 24 h later. Rest and dynamic postpartum pain scores at 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 h and quality of recovery (QoR-15) at 12 and 24 h were assessed. Results The study analyzed 173 patients (cesarean delivery: 76; vaginal delivery: 97). Vaginal delivery was associated with greater postpartum ambulation (44%) compared to cesarean delivery, with means ± SD of 1,205 ± 422 and 835 ± 381 steps, respectively, and mean difference (95% CI) of 370 steps (250, 490; P < 0.0001). Although both groups had similar pain scores and opioid consumption (less than 1.0 mg of morphine), vaginal delivery was associated with superior QoR-15 scores, with 9.2 (0.6, 17.8; P = 0.02) and 8.2 (0.1, 16.3; P = 0.045) differences at 12 and 24 h, respectively. Conclusions This study objectively demonstrates that vaginal delivery is associated with greater early ambulation and functional recovery compared to cesarean delivery. It also establishes the feasibility of using activity trackers to evaluate early postoperative ambulation after neuraxial anesthesia and analgesia.

Background The majority of parturients in the United States first return for evaluation by their obstetric practitioner 6 weeks after delivery. As such, there is little granular data on the pain experience, analgesic requirements, and functional recovery during the postpartum period. This prospective observational study was performed to evaluate these factors to provide expectations for patients. Methods A total of 213 nulliparous women were enrolled and assessed daily until they completed 3 outcomes: (1) pain resolution; (2) opioid cessation; and (3) self-assessed functional recovery from delivery. The primary endpoint, pain- and opioid-free functional recovery, was the time required to reach all three of the endpoints. Pain burden was assessed as the area under the curve created by plotting the daily numerical pain rating scale against the days required to attain pain resolution. Times to attain study endpoints after cesarean delivery and vaginal delivery were compared using survival analysis. Results After vaginal delivery, days required for pain and opioid-free functional recovery (median [interquartile range (IQR)]) were 19 [11 to 26], for opioid cessation 0 [0 to 2], termination of all analgesic (including nonsteroidal antiinflammatories and acetaminophen) 11 [5 to 17], and pain resolution 14 [7 to 24]. Achievement of these endpoints after cesarean delivery required 27 [19 to 40], 9 [5 to 12], 16 [11 to 24], and 21 [14 to 27] days, respectively. Conclusions There is clinically significant variability between healthy nulliparous parturients in the pain experience, opioid use, and functional recovery after childbirth following vaginal and cesarean delivery. Recovery to predelivery function is similar after vaginal and cesarean delivery, and approximately half of the variance was explained by pain burden.

Background Anesthetics administered to immature brains may cause histopathological changes and long-term behavioral abnormalities. The association between perinatal exposure to anesthetics during Cesarean delivery (CD) and development of learning disabilities (LD) was determined in a population-based birth cohort. Methods The educational and medical records of all children born to mothers residing in five townships of Olmsted County, Minnesota from 1976-1982 and remaining in the community at age 5 were reviewed to identify those with LDs. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compare rates of LD between children delivered vaginally and via CD (with general or regional anesthesia). Results Of the 5,320 children in this cohort, 497 were delivered via CD (under general anesthesia n = 193, and regional anesthesia n = 304). The incidence of LD depended on mode of delivery (P = 0.050, adjusted for sex, birth weight, gestational age, exposure to anesthesia before age 4 yr, and maternal education). LD risk was similar in children delivered by vagina or CD with general anesthesia, but was reduced in children receiving CD with regional anesthesia (hazard ratio = 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.44 to 0.92; P = 0.017 for comparison of CD under regional anesthesia compared to vaginal delivery). Conclusion Children exposed to general or regional anesthesia during CD are not more likely to develop LD compared to children delivered vaginally, suggesting that brief perinatal exposure to anesthetic drugs does not adversely affect long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. The risk of LD may be lower in children delivered by CD whose mothers received regional anesthesia.

Background Dystocia is characterized by abnormal progress of labor and is a common contemporary indication for cesarean delivery in the United States. There has been considerable controversy as to whether epidural analgesia causes dysfunctional labor leading to cesarean delivery for dystocia. The minimum local analgesic concentration (MLAC) is a clinical model used to determine the relative potencies of local anesthetics in the first stage of labor. In this article, the authors report a prospective study determining the MLAC of bupivacaine in early labor of parturients who eventually delivered either vaginally or via cesarean section. Methods An up-down sequential allocation technique was used to determine the MLAC of bupivacaine in 57 nulliparous parturients assigned to either vaginal delivery or cesarean section arms. In addition, patients were assigned to groups receiving or not receiving intravenous oxytocin at the time of epidural placement. Only patients who delivered by the assigned delivery mode were included in the MLAC analyses. Results Parturients who later delivered vaginally had 25% and 31% lower MLAC values (0.078% and 0.085% wt/vol bupivacaine, receiving or not receiving intravenous oxytocin, respectively) than those who later delivered by cesarean section (0.102% and 0.106% wt/vol bupivacaine, receiving or not receiving intravenous oxytocin, respectively). Conclusions These data suggest that an increased local anesthetic requirement for epidural labor analgesia is associated with more intense pain related to dystocia. Women in early, clinically normal labor but who later develop dystocia require more local anesthetic and, by inference, are experiencing more severe pain than women who deliver vaginally. This association should be considered when studying the relation between the method of labor analgesia and the course of labor.

Background The authors recently showed that "mobile" epidural analgesia, using low-dose local anesthetic-opioid mixtures, reduces the impact of epidural analgesia on instrumental vaginal delivery, relative to a traditional technique. The main prespecified assessment of pain relief efficacy, women's postpartum estimates of labor pain after epidural insertion, did not differ. The detailed analgesic efficacy and the anesthetic characteristics of the techniques are reported here. Methods A total of 1,054 nulliparous women were randomized, in labor, to receive boluses of 10 ml 0.25% bupivacaine (traditional), combined spinal-epidural (CSE) analgesia, or low-dose infusion (LDI), the latter groups utilizing 0.1% bupivacaine with 2 microg/ml fentanyl. Visual analog scale pain assessments were collected throughout labor and delivery and 24 h later. Details of the conduct of epidural analgesia, drug utilization, and requirement for anesthesiologist reattendance were recorded. Results A total of 353 women were randomized to receive traditional epidural analgesia, 351 received CSE, and 350 received LDI. CSE was associated with a more rapid onset of analgesia, lower median visual analog scale pain scores than traditional in the first hour after epidural insertion, and a significant reduction in bupivacaine dose given during labor. Pain scores reported by women receiving LDI were similar to those in the traditional group throughout labor and delivery. Anesthesiologist reattendance was low but greater with each mobile technique. Conclusions Relative to traditional epidural analgesia, LDI is at least as effective and CSE provided better pain relief in the early stages after insertion. The proven efficacy of mobile epidurals and their beneficial impact on delivery mode make them the preferred techniques for epidural pain relief in labor.