Anesthesiology
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Meta Analysis
Labor analgesia and cesarean delivery: an individual patient meta-analysis of nulliparous women.
The authors performed an individual patient meta-analysis of 2,703 nulliparous women who were randomized to either epidural analgesia or intravenous opioids for pain relief during labor from five trials conducted at their hospital. The primary purpose in this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of epidural analgesia during labor on the rate of cesarean delivery. ⋯ Epidural analgesia compared to intravenous meperidine analgesia during labor does not increase the number of cesarean deliveries.