Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Comparison of Variable-frequency Automated Mandatory Bolus (VAMB), Computer-integrated Patient Controlled Epidural Analgesia (CIPCEA) and Conventional Patient Controlled Epidural Analgesia (PCEA) Duri
Brief Summary: Epidural analgesia is the gold standard of pain relief for labour pain. Despite this, more than 50% of parturients continue to experience pain leading to suffering and increased caregiver workload. Women who have increased pain tend to have lower successful patient bolus demands when patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) is utilised and have dysfunctional labour requiring obstetric intervention such as Caesarean or instrumental delivery. Labour pain often escalates and worsens as labour progresses requiring an individualized, variable, flexible analgesic regimen. Bolus epidural administrations have been shown to improve uniform spread of local anaesthetics with better pain relief, compared to fixed background infusions.