Effect of intraspinal dexamethasone on intrapartum fever, and maternal and infant outcomes

Abstract

Purpose: To study the effect of intraspinal injection of dexamethasone (DXMS) on intrapartum fever and maternal and infant outcomes. Methods: A total of 200 puerperal women who gave birth in The Fourth Hospital of Shi Jia Zhuang from May 2020 to September 2021 were randomly selected and randomly divided into two groups: routine group (control group) and study group, with 100 women in each group. The routine group received epidural block anesthesia. In addition to the treatment given to the routine group, mothers in the study group were injected with 5 mg of dexamethasone in the spinal canal through an epidural catheter. Pain, fever, as well as maternal and infant outcomes were evaluated. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the degree of pain between the two groups, before and 1 h after anesthesia (p > 0.05). However, visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at the end of the first and second stage of labor were significantly lower in the study group (1.76 ± 0.56 and 3.41 ± 0.39, respectively) than in the control group (4.73 ± 0.48 and 6.11 ± 0.63, respectively; p < 0.05). In the control group, 23 puerperal women (23 %) had body temperature ≥ 37.5 oC but < 38 oC, while 19 puerperal women (19 %) had body temperature ≥ 38 oC. There was no statistically significant difference in Apgar scores between the two groups at 1 min and 5 min after delivery (p > 0.05). In the control group, there were 9 (9 %) cases of headache, 5 (5 %) cases of prolonged labor, and 7 (7 %) cases of weak contractions, while the corresponding numbers in the study group were 2 (2 %), 0 (0 %) and 1 (1 %), respectively. Conclusion: The use of intrathecal dexamethasone in women reduced maternal pain and likelihood of fever during labor, with no significant effect on the newborn.