Intrathecal fentanyl prolongs post-operative analgesia at the expense of increased incidence of pruritus, but with no increase in respiratory depression.
Intrathecal morphine prolongs post-operative analgesia, but at the expense of increasing nausea, vomiting, pruritus, urinary retention and risk of respiratory depression.
Harrington rods are not a contraindication to epidural analgesia but do increase insertion difficulty, technique failure and complications, particularly dural puncture and subdural placement.
Neuraxial analgesia early in labor does not increase the risk of cesarean delivery or increase the duration of labor compared with analgesia later in labor.