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Fevers following an epidural From: Malcolm Griffiths (Malcolm@mgriff22.demon.co.uk) Mon Apr 29 16:18:12 1996 Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ] Next message: charlie chambers: "Fairmont, MN" Previous message: Malcolm Griffiths: "Re: There but for the grace of God go I . . ." Next in thread: mborn: "Re: Fevers following an epidural" Maybe reply: mborn: "Re: Fevers following an epidural" Maybe reply: Douglas Krell: "Re: Fevers following an epidural" Maybe reply: ElisHyde@aol.com: "Re: Fevers following an epidural" Maybe reply: MKKMD@aol.com: "Re: Fevers following an epidural" I have always assumed mild pyrexia with epidural to be commonplace. Paul Johnson a physiologist in Oxford once told me that the fetus of the mother with an epidural has a greater temperature difference compared to mothers oral/axillary temperature than in non-epiduralised mothers. I dug out a paper from my database - Lancet June 3, 1989,pp 1250-2. I scanned the summary and include it for anyone who can't access the original paper. Voila ! MATERNAL PYREXIA ASSOCIATED WITH USE OF EPIDURAL ANALGESIA IN LABOUR Luca Fusi et al Summary- To establish the effect of pain relief on maternal temperature during labour forty patients who went into spontaneous labour with a single fetus, had a normal temperature (<37-5'C), and had no clinical evidence of infection were investigated prospectively. They were divided into two comparable groups - one receiving pethidine and the other epidural analgesia. Both groups had much the same temperatures at the begining of labour and before any analgesic administration. The mean temparature in the pethidine group remained constant during labour, whereas in the epidural analgesia group it showed a significant rise after only 6 hours of labour. This rise was not related to any clinical evidence of infection. Patients receiving epidural analgesia during labour are at increased risk of developing pyrexia. This pyrexia may be the result of vascular and thermoregulatory modifications induced by epidural analgesia. -- Malcolm Griffiths MD,MRCOG,MFFP,Cert.Mgmnt Obstetrician & Gynaecologist Luton & Dunstable Hosp.,UK. Tel: 01582-497459 (office) 01525-222849 (home) Fax: 01582-497424 email: Malcolm@mgriff22.demon.co.uk "It is dangerous to be right on a subject on which the established authorities are wrong." (Voltaire) Next message: charlie chambers: "Fairmont, MN" Previous message: Malcolm Griffiths: "Re: There but for the grace of God go I . . ." Next in thread: mborn: "Re: Fevers following an epidural" Maybe reply: mborn: "Re: Fevers following an epidural" Maybe reply: Douglas Krell: "Re: Fevers following an epidural" Maybe reply: ElisHyde@aol.com: "Re: Fevers following an epidural" Maybe reply: MKKMD@aol.com: "Re: Fevers following an epidural"

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