Article Sidebar
Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
The labour ward analgesic service at King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban
Abstract
The provision of analgesic services to the labour ward at King Edward VIII Hospital was studied during a 1-week period. Of 249 patients, 113 (45%) received no analgesia whatsoever. Intramuscular pethidine was the commonest form of analgesia and was used in 97 patients (39%). Thirty-six patients (14%) received epidural analgesia and only 4 inhalational analgesia using nitrous oxide and oxygen (Entonox). A significant proportion of patients who received pethidine were given the drug between 1 and 3 hours before delivery, increasing the potential for opiate-related neonatal depression. Of the patients given opiate analgesia, 22 (23%) proceeded to caesarean section and could have been at increased risk of aspiration of gastric contents owing to delayed gastric emptying caused by the opiate. One hundred and eleven mothers (76%) who had an obstetric indication for epidural analgesia were denied it because of lack of medical staffing.
