Use of nitrous oxide in analgesic labor

Objective:To study the effect of nitrous oxide on labor pain relief and its influerce on mother and fetus.Methods:Four hundred and twenty nine pregnant women were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group.The control group was given the same therapy as the observation group except nitrous oxide.The degree of labor pain,the labor course,the mode of delivery,bleeding voluma,rate of postpartum hemorrhage,fetal distress and neonatal asphyxia were observed in the two groups respectively.Results:The two groups differed significantly in analgesia effect,the duration of activity,second delivery process and the mode of delivery( P 0.01 to P 0.005),but there were no significant differences in the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage,fetal distress or neonatal asphyxia( P 0.05).Conclusions:Analgesic labor with nitrous oxide produces a shorter delivery process,decreases the rate of cesarean section and shows no side effects on both mother and fetus.It has the advantages of safety,efficacy and simplicity.