Comparative study of the efficacy of Remifentanil for controlling labor pain when used both alone and in combination with Dexamethasone

Aims and background: Labor pain is often severe. Unrelieved labor pain can have an adverse effect on the physiologic status of the women in labor. Accurate measurement and appropriate management of pain is a significant problem for attending medical and nursing personnel. There are several options for controlling labor pain. Each method has its own risks and benefits, with variations in effectiveness, availability and acceptability. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of remifentanil when used with and without dexamethasone in women undergoing a normal vaginal delivery.

In this study 90 pregnant women were selected from the pregnant women referred to Alavi Hospital. Group A received Remifentanil with Dexamethasone and Group B received Remifentanil alone. The pain scores based on VAS were measured before the intervention and 30, 60, and 120 minutes after the intervention. Finally, the data were analyzed by SPSS. Findings: Pain severity according to the VAS score was significantly lower in patients that received remifentanil with dexamethasone 30, 60 and 120 min after the intervention compared to the other group. Analysis of the pooled risk differences showed that nausea, vomiting and headache were significantly higher in remifentanil alone users. There wasn’t a significant difference in FHR or Apgar in the 1st and 5th minute between the two groups.

The use of remifentanil with dexamethasone has more of a beneficial effect for many parturient women compared to remifentanil.