For Release: March 10, 1997 5 p.m. (ET)
Below is a highlight of a study published in the March issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Members of the media may obtain the full text of this study by e- mailing the AAP Division of Public Relations at [email protected] and asking for C415-97. E-mail requests should include your name, media affiliation, phone and fax numbers or address.
EPIDURALS MAY AFFECT NEWBORNS
CHICAGO--Women who receive epidurals to ease labor pains may be increasing discomfort for their newborns, according to a study published in this months Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The new study says that epidurals can cause fevers in mothers during childbirth, which, in turn, causes doctors to test newborns for blood and tissue infections (sepsis), and to treat the newborns with antibiotics. The studys authors come from Brigham and Womens Hospitals and the Joint Program in Neonatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston. The authors looked at 1,047 women who received epidural analgesia for pain relief during labor. More than 14 percent of these women developed fevers during labor. Of the babies born to those 1,047 women, 34 percent needed an evaluation for sepsis, as compared to less than 10 percent of babies born to mothers who had no epidural. Newborns whose mothers had received an epidural were four times as likely to be treated with antibiotics because doctors were concerned about the possibility of sepsis. However, babies of women who received an epidural were not more likely to actually have infections, which was very rare in both groups. The authors conclude that women and their doctors should discuss the possible consequences of fever resulting from epidural use when deciding what method of pain relief to use during labor.
EDITORS NOTE: This study was published in the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 51,000 pediatricians dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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