Pain relief in labour is often required for both humanitarian and medical reasons. Although many techniques are used to provide analgesia in labour, epidural analgesia is the only technique capable of producing complete pain relief. In the past, epidural analgesia was achieved with strong concentrations of local anaesthetic and was associated with a prolongation of the first and second stages of labour and an increased incidence of operative vaginal delivery. Nowadays, combinations of low-dose local anaesthetic and opioid solutions are used and provide a better obstetric outcome. Maternal mortality associated with anaesthesia has fallen dramatically with the increased use of regional anaesthesia for obstetric surgery, together with better regulation of epidural analgesia.
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