Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation does not augment epidural labor analgesia.
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can increase the quality and duration of an initiation dose of bupivacaine used for the establishment of epidural labor analgesia. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind study. SETTING: Tertiary-care academic medical center. PATIENTS: 40 ASA physical status I and II parturients in early, active spontaneous labor with a singleton, vertex term fetus, and requesting analgesia. INTERVENTIONS: A standardized epidural technique with either an active or inactive TENS unit was performed. Before epidural placement, TENS intensity thresholds were determined with electrodes placed over the paraspinus muscles at T(10)-L(1), and S(2)-S(4); TENS settings for mode, cycle, and pulse width were standardized. MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected at timed intervals on pain as measured by visual analog scale (VAS), sensory level (pinprick), motor blockade (Bromage score), cervical dilation, and duration of analgesia. MAIN RESULTS: The duration of analgesia produced by the initial dose of epidural bupivacaine did not differ between groups (TENS turned off 82.3 +/- 26 [mean +/- SD] vs. TENS activated 80.7 +/- 40 min, p = 0.88). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Mantel-Cox log rank analysis showed no difference between the two treatments (p = 0.75). No difference in the quality of analgesia was observed between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy laboring parturients, the application of a TENS unit did not alter the quality or duration of an initiation dose of bupivacaine utilized for the establishment of epidural labor analgesia.