Pain relief in labour using epidural pethidine with adrenaline.

The degree of pain was assessed by use of a visual analogue scale in 20 patients in established labour before and after the epidural injection of pethidine 50 mg with adrenaline 1:200,000. Forty-two doses were administered and of these 83% gave good pain relief and only 5% had no effect at all. The duration of action was longest following the first dose decreasing with subsequent doses. No evidence of sympathetic or motor blockade was found and side-effects were minimal. In the postpartum period 17 of the mothers expressed full satisfaction with the technique.