Multimodal Analgesia in Obstetrics: Optimizing Pain Management During and After Delivery

- Background

An effective pain management in pregnancy, delivery process, and postpartum improves the mother's satisfaction from the whole gynecologic-related experience and the mother's recovery. Multimodal analgesia (MMA) encompasses the usage of analgesics with different pharmacological properties as well as using different approaches to relieve pain and lighten intensity for better subjective and objective parameters.

- Aim

This research aims to analyze how effective MMA is in childbirth, with special emphasis on maternal and fetal outcomes, post-delivery complications, and patient satisfaction.

- Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 120 pregnant women undergoing MMA analgesia during labor and delivery. Data pertaining to demographics, delivery outcomes, side effects, and post-delivery complications were collected. The short-form 36 (SF-36) quality-of-life assessment was administered after discharge. Chi-square was used to examine the relationship between analgesia type and various outcomes.

- Results

Most participants were non-smokers (75%), with an average age of 30 years and an average BMI of 26.5. Of 120 mothers, 66.7% delivered vaginally, whereas 58.3% used an epidural for analgesia. Overall, satisfaction with pain management was good, with 66.7% of patients reporting being satisfied. Post-delivery complications were minimal, with only 4.2% readmitted. Chi-square analysis showed a statistically significant relationship (p=0.045) between analgesia and delivery outcomes.

- Conclusion

Multimodal analgesia has shown its highest efficiency in relieving pain during and after delivery, having few complications. This mode of analgesia has been implicated in increased maternal satisfaction and quality of life. Additional research would strengthen this argument and assess the long-term analysis.