Cochrane · systematic review · CD007238
Early versus late initiation of epidural analgesia for labour
Sng, BL, Leong, WL, Zeng, Y, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2014 · Cochrane Library
Pregnancy and ChildbirthAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
7
current version
GRADE rated
7
No studies
0
Included studies
NR
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 0 · 0%Low 1 · 14.3%Moderate 1 · 14.3%High 5 · 71.4%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Early initiation of epidural analgesia compared to Late initiation for preventing caesarean section
Population: pregnant women (at term) requesting epidural analgesia in labour (regardless of whether the labour was spontaneous or induced)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Caesarean section Early initiation of epidural analgesia vs Late initiation | RR 1.02 [0.96, 1.08] | 9 studies · 15499 participants | High |
Instrumental delivery Early initiation of epidural analgesia vs Late initiation | RR 0.93 [0.86, 1.01] | 8 studies · 15379 participants | High |
Duration of 1st stage of labour Early initiation of epidural analgesia vs Late initiation | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 14384 participants | Low |
Duration of 2nd stage of labour Early initiation of epidural analgesia vs Late initiation | no estimate extracted | 8 studies · 14982 participants | High |
Apgar score <7 at 5 min Early initiation of epidural analgesia vs Late initiation | RR 0.96 [0.69, 1.33] | 7 studies · 14924 participants | High |
Umbilical artery pH Early initiation of epidural analgesia vs Late initiation | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 14004 participants | High |
Umblical vein pH Early initiation of epidural analgesia vs Late initiation | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 14004 participants | Moderate |