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A comparison of urapidil, clonidine, meperidine and placebo in preventing postanesthetic shivering.

UNLABELLED: This placebo-controlled study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of urapidil compared with clonidine and meperidine in preventing postanesthetic shivering, which is common after anesthesia administration and may be very distressing. We studied 120 patients undergoing elective abdominal or orthopedic surgery under standardized general anesthesia. After surgery, patients were randomly assigned to one of four groups (each group n = 30) using a double-blinded protocol: Group A received 0.2 mg/kg urapidil; Group B, 3 microg/kg clonidine; Group C, 0.4 mg/kg meperidine; and Group D, saline 0.9% as placebo. Postanesthetic shivering was scored by using a five-point scale. Clonidine and meperidine significantly reduced the incidence and the severity of shivering in comparison with placebo, whereas there were no significant differences between the urapidil and placebo groups. Both clonidine and meperidine caused a significantly prolonged emergence time (13.4 +/- 5.8 and 13. 3 +/- 5.0 min, respectively) compared with placebo (10.4 +/- 5.3 min) and urapidil (11.4 +/- 2.9 min). We confirmed that both clonidine and meperidine are effective in preventing postanesthetic shivering, whereas urapidil, in our setting and dosage, was not effective. Patients who received clonidine or meperidine had a prolonged emergence time. In the dosage used, urapidil seems to be unable to prevent postanesthetic shivering. IMPLICATIONS: Shivering (irregular muscle activity) is common after surgery and anesthesia. This study compared urapidil (an antihypertensive drug) as a prophylaxis with two established antishivering drugs (meperidine and clonidine) and placebo. In the dosage used, we were unable to show a significant benefit of urapidil.

Adult↗

Efficacy and safety of a diazepam and meperidine combination for pediatric gastrointestinal procedures.

Little has been published about outpatient sedation for pediatric patients. We designed a study to evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of diazepam and meperidine in combination for sedation in ambulatory pediatric patients undergoing endoscopy, colonoscopy, or liver biopsy. Thirty patients (7 months-20 years) were observed. Each patient received a single combined dose of intravenous diazepam and meperidine. The standard dose was 0.1 mg/kg for diazepam and 2.0 mg/kg for meperidine. In patients weighing greater than 100 lb, set doses of meperidine (100 mg) and diazepam (5 mg) were used. The time to achieve sedation and the vital signs were measured; cooperation, emotional state, and drowsiness were rated before, during, and after procedures. The amnesic effect was noted, as were any adverse effects. Diazepam and meperidine were effective in 26 of 30 patients, with sedation generally produced within 2-3 min. Cooperation and emotional state improved significantly following drug administration (p less than 0.05). When a prospective 24-h telephone follow-up study was instituted in 40 consecutive patients receiving diazepam and meperidine no significant adverse effects were noted. Only 20% of patients old enough to be questioned remembered the procedure. Diazepam and meperidine in combination appear to be effective and safe in pediatric patients undergoing gastrointestinal procedures. Prolonged monitoring of patients does not appear necessary in this patient population.

Adolescent↗

Meperidine attenuates the secretion but not the transcription of interleukin 1 beta in human mononuclear leukocytes.

BACKGROUND: The infusion of amphotericin-B (AmB) often produces clinically distressing rigors and chills, which promptly abate with intravenous injection of meperidine, although its mechanism of action is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of meperidine on the transcription or secretion of Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) in human mononuclear leukocytes (MNL) exposed in vitro to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contained in Escherichia coli endotoxin or to AmB. METHODS: Blood was drawn from eight healthy adult volunteers. The blood was centrifuged, and the layer containing MNL was separated; incubated with various combinations of medium, meperidine, and AmB; then tested for IL-1 content to determine the effect of meperidine on MNL secretion of IL-1 beta. To determine the effect on MNL transcription of IL-1 beta, the RNA was extracted from cells and the IL-1 beta was measured using one of two different methods. RESULTS: Incubation of human MNL in the presence of LPS or AmB significantly increased transcription of IL-1 beta mRNA and secretion of IL-1 beta. Addition of meperidine to these cultures significantly reduced LPS-induced, but not AmB-induced, secretion of IL-1 beta in vitro. Meperidine did not alter IL-1 beta mRNA levels in MNL exposed to LPS or AmB. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that meperidine decreases rigors and chills in part by decreasing MNL secretion of IL-1 beta through a posttranscriptional mechanism.

Adult↗

Fetal heart rate responses to meperidine alone and in combination with propiomazine.

A study was performed to evaluate the effects of three regimens of intrapartum analgesia upon fetal heart rate characteristics. Either meperidine 50 mg (M50), meperidine 50 mg plus propiomazine 20 mg (M50/P20), or meperidine 25 mg plus propiomazine 10 mg (M25/P10) was given intravenously for intrapartum analgesia to 204 patients in the first stage of labor, and the effects were evaluated upon fetal heart rate variability (FHRV) and fetal heart rate reactivity (FHRR). M25/P10 was found to cause a decrease in FHRV in fewer patients than M50/P20 (13.6% vs 36.5%, P less than .005), while still providing adequate analgesia for most patients. Although M50 also caused a decrease in FHRV in fewer patients than M50/P20 (19.1% vs 36.5%, P less than .05), it produced emesis in 20% of patients. When FHRV was minimal or moderate before the analgesic was given, FHRV became absent in only eight of 222 doses (3.6%). FHRR was lost in fewer patients given M50 than in those given M50/P20 (45% vs 71%, P less than .01); there was no significant difference between M50 and M25/P10. We conclude that the effects of meperidine upon fetal heart rate characteristics are both potentiated by propiomazine, and, when meperidine is given with propiomazine, dose-related. We also conclude that absent FHRV is rarely caused by meperidine; when FHRV becomes absent after meperidine administration, the patient should be fully evaluated for the possibility of fetal distress before the absence of variability is attributed to analgesia.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗

Intravenous meperidine infusion for obstetric analgesia.

OBJECTIVE: To provide safe, satisfying obstetric analgesia when epidural analgesia was unavailable. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled study of women in labor. SETTING: A regional hospital offering primary- and secondary-level obstetric care. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-nine women with low-risk, single, term pregnancies and anticipated vaginal delivery. INTERVENTIONS: Women in the intermittent intramuscular (IM) injection group received meperidine 50-100 mg, every 2 hours, as required. Those in the intravenous (IV) infusion group received an initial bolus of meperidine 25 mg, a basal infusion rate of 60 mg/h, and intermittent boluses of 25 mg/h as required. Each participant had a maximum of 200 mg of meperidine available to her during labor. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Pain intensity was measured on a 10-cm visual analogue scale. Pain ratings were recorded when analgesia was initiated and every 30 minutes thereafter, until delivery. RESULTS: Women who received IV meperidine reported significantly lower levels of pain (p = .0015) than women in the IM group. However, women in the IV group received significantly higher doses of meperidine (mean = 121 mg) than those in the IM group (mean = 82 mg; p = .0007). When pain scores were compared on a smaller group of participants (n = 18) who received similar doses of meperidine (100-150 mg), women in the IV group still reported lower pain scores (p = .0092). No significant differences were found between the groups in length of labor, maternal vital signs, fetal heart rate, Apgar scores, level of maternal sedation, or patient-reported side effects. CONCLUSION: IV meperidine infusion was superior to intermittent IM injections for pain relief during labor.

Adolescent↗

The pharmacokinetics of meperidine in the myocardium of conscious sheep.

The pharmacokinetics of meperidine in blood and myocardium were studied in five conscious sheep. After an intravenous (i.v.) bolus of 100, 200, or 300 mg meperidine HCl, the maximum arterial blood concentrations (mean +/- SD) were 27.8 +/- 4.6, 66.8 +/- 13.3, and 114.5 +/- 23.1 micrograms/mL, respectively, and coronary sinus blood concentrations were 2.7 +/- 1.0, 7 +/- 1.5, and 13.7 +/- 2.5 micrograms/mL, respectively. These were linearly related to dose. Net uptake of meperidine into the myocardium occurred during the first minute and the maximum rates of uptake (influxes) were 5.1 +/- 2.6, 15.1 +/- 4.6, and 27.5 +/- 8.7 mg/min. Myocardial meperidine concentrations, calculated using mass balance principles for the 100-, 200-, and 300-mg doses, respectively, were 9.0 +/- 1.8, 20.5 +/- 8.6, and 34.1 +/- 7.4 micrograms/g at peak and had decreased to 57% +/- 11% of peak 5 min after injection. No pseudoequilibrium between blood and myocardial meperidine concentrations had been reached within the 15-min study period. Myocardial perfusion and blood-myocardial concentration gradients were both important determinants of meperidine myocardial pharmacokinetics. The fast uptake and brief sojourn of meperidine in the myocardium agreed with its rapid but transient negative inotropic effect reported previously.

Animals↗

Analgesic, hemodynamic, and respiratory effects induced by caudal epidural administration of meperidine hydrochloride in mares.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the analgesic, hemodynamic, and respiratory effects induced by caudal epidural administration of meperidine hydrochloride in mares. ANIMALS: 7 healthy mares. PROCEDURE: Each mare received meperidine (5%; 0.8 mg/kg of body weight) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution via caudal epidural injection on 2 occasions. At least 2 weeks elapsed between treatments. Degree of analgesia in response to noxious electrical, thermal, and skin and muscle prick stimuli was determined before and for 5 hours after treatment. In addition, cardiovascular and respiratory variables were measured and degree of sedation (head position) and ataxia (pelvic limb position) evaluated. RESULTS: Caudal epidural administration of meperidine induced bilateral analgesia extending from the. coccygeal to S1 dermatomes in standing mares; degree of sedation and ataxia was minimal. Mean (+/- SD) onset of analgesia was 12 +/- 4 minutes after meperidine administration, and duration of analgesia ranged from 240 minutes to the entire 300-minute testing period. Heart and respiratory rates, rectal temperature, arterial blood pressures, Hct, PaO2, PaCO2, pHa, total solids and bicarbonate concentrations, and base excess were not significantly different from baseline values after caudal epidural administration of either meperidine or saline solution. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Caudal epidural administration of meperidine induced prolonged perineal analgesia in healthy mares. Degree of sedation and ataxia was minimal, and adverse cardiorespiratory effects were not detected. Meperidine may be a useful agent for induction of caudal epidural analgesia in mares undergoing prolonged diagnostic, obstetric, or surgical procedures in the anal and perineal regions.

Analgesia, Epidural↗

Comparison of subcutaneous hydromorphone with intramuscular meperidine for immediate postoperative analgesia.

Intramuscular (i.m.) injection with meperidine is the most common analgesic approach to treat postoperative pain in Taiwan. Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) can provide very potent and rapid analgesic effect through subcutaneous (s.c.) injection. Although hydromorphone is widely used in North America, no study has compared the analgesic efficacy, side effect profiles and patients' satisfaction with the method of injection of hydromorphone s.c. and meperidine i.m. for the immediate post-operative analgesia. In this randomized and double-blind study, 60 female patients scheduled for abdominal total hysterectomy were treated either with 1 mg hydromorphone s.c. (n = 30) or 50 mg meperidine i.m. (n = 30) when they regained consciousness and asked for analgesic treatment in the recovery room. Visual analogue score (VAS) of wound pain was obtained at 0, 10 and 30 min after injection by a blinded observer. The occurrence and severity of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, flatus passage and respiratory depression were recorded. Post-operative analgesia in the ward was maintained by patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with intravenous morphine. Time to first PCA demand, the number of demands, delivery, delivery/demand ratio and 24 h morphine consumption were documented. We found that VAS was reduced at 10 min and, to a greater extent, at 30 min postinjection in both groups but with no significant difference between the two groups. The occurrence and severity of side effect profiles were similar in both groups except that dizziness was more frequently observed after meperidine injection. Delivery, demand, delivery/demand ratio and 24 hr morphine consumption by PCA were not significantly different between the two groups. Time to first PCA trigger was also similar. Patients receiving hydromorphone s.c. injection exhibited higher satisfactory score than those receiving meperidine i.m. injection. Hydromorphone 1 mg, injected subcutaneously, was as effective as intramuscular meperidine 50 mg while permitting more favorable injection technique and fewer side effects. We suggest that subcutaneous hydromorphone is a good alternative to intramuscular meperidine for postoperative analgesia in the recovery room.

Adult↗

[Segmental analysis of hair from meperidine abusers and evaluation of the results].

Using meperidine abusers as subjects for this study, we detected in hair meperidine and its metabolites normeperidine, N-OCH3-meperidine and N-AC-meperidine. The content of meperidine and normeperidine of 60 abusers were 103 +/- 130 ng/mg and 117 +/- 143 ng/mg respectively. Meperidine was stably present in hair for at least 20 months. Normeperidine level decreased from hair root to tip. The segmental analysis of hair revealed that there were correlations between the drug abuse history and the distribution of drug along the hair shaft, and between the dose of meperidine and its content presented in hair.

Female↗

Perineal analgesia and hemodynamic effects of the epidural administration of meperidine or hyperbaric bupivacaine in conscious horses.

Epidural administration of bupivacaine and meperidine produces analgesia in several animal species and in humans. A prospective randomized study was conducted in 18 healthy horses to compare the effect of these 2 drugs administered by the epidural route. Animals were divided into 3 treatment groups of 6 animals each. All drugs were injected by the epidural route in all animals between the 1st and 2nd coccygeal vertebrae. Treatment 1 (BUP)--0.06 mg/kg of body weight of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine; treatment 2 (MEP)--0.6 mg/kg of body weight of 5% meperidine; treatment 3 (SS)--0.9% saline solution (control group). Heart rate, arterial pressure, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, analgesia, sedation, and motor-blocking were determined before drug administration (baseline values); at 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes after drug administration, and then at 30-minute intervals thereafter. Both hyperbaric bupivacaine and meperidine administered epidurally produced complete bilateral perineal analgesia in all horses. The onset of analgesia was 6, s = 2.6 minutes after injection of bupivacaine, as opposed to 9, s = 2 minutes after meperidine. The duration of analgesia was 240, s = 57 minutes for meperidine and 320, s = 30 minutes for bupivacaine. Heart and respiratory rates, arterial pressure, and rectal temperature did not change (P < 0.05) significantly from basal values after the epidural administration of bupivacaine, meperidine, or saline solution. To conclude, both bupivacaine and meperidine induced long-lasting perineal analgesia, with minimal cardiovascular effects. Analgesia was induced faster and lasted longer with bupivacaine.

Analgesia, Epidural↗

An evaluation of epidural bupivacaine with and without meperidine in labor.

BACKGROUND: One aim of epidural analgesia during childbirth is to provide satisfactory pain relief with minimal side effects. We hypothesized that a combination of opioid and local anesthetic would better achieve this aim than either drug alone. This study compared the efficacy and side effects of epidural meperidine and bupivacaine combined to those of meperidine and bupivacaine alone. METHODS: One hundred consenting nulliparas requesting epidural analgesia in labor were randomly assigned to receive, in a double-blind fashion, one of five treatments. These were 25 mg meperidine, 12.5 mg bupivacaine, 25 mg meperidine plus 12.5 mg bupivacaine, 25 mg bupivacaine, and 37.5 mg bupivacaine. Efficacy of analgesia and side effects were assessed before and after each dose. Leg strength was measured with a force meter and blood flow to each foot with a blood perfusion monitor. The neurobehavioral state of the newborn was assessed by a pediatrician who was blind to treatment using a neurologic and adaptive capacity scoring system. RESULTS: Thirty-seven women did not achieve satisfactory analgesia after the first dose of test medication; these predominantly were those who received 25 mg meperidine (n = 12) or 12.5 mg bupivacaine (n = 11). Nausea decreased after the initial dose with all treatments (p less than 0.01), whereas shivering increased in patients receiving bupivacaine (p less than 0.01). There was a reduction in leg strength and an increase in blood flow associated with the two higher bupivacaine treatments (p less than 0.01), and with both parameters the dependent limb was most affected. Overall patient satisfaction was greatest in the group receiving meperidine plus bupivacaine. Neonatal neurologic and adaptive capacity scores did not differ significantly among the treatment groups. CONCLUSION: The low-dose combination of meperidine and bupivacaine used in this trial proved a satisfactory preparation for epidural administration during the early stages of labor.

Adult↗

The effect of fentanyl, meperidine and diamorphine on nerve conduction in vitro.

The effect of fentanyl, meperidine and diamorphine on A- and C-fiber conduction in an in vitro rabbit vagus nerve preparation was examined. The nerves were maintained at 37 degrees C with an oxygenated electrolyte solution. The effect of the commercial preparation of fentanyl (Sublimaze) and isotonic solutions of fentanyl, meperidine and diamorphine were observed. Sublimaze had a neurotoxic effect related to its hypotonicity. In isotonic solutions, fentanyl and meperidine, but not diamorphine, blocked nerve conduction and both showed marked frequency-dependent blocking actions in C-fibers. Naloxone (Narcan) did not prevent the effect of fentanyl. Both fentanyl and meperidine potentiated the block produced by a low concentration of bupivacaine (0.005 mM, 0.00016%), the effect of meperidine being seen at clinically relevant concentrations. Fentanyl was slightly more potent than meperidine in its effect on nerve conduction, but its greater opioid potency would not allow its use as a local anesthetic. The local anesthetic effect of meperidine may be more useful clinically.

Animals↗

Comparison of morphine, meperidine, fentanyl, and sufentanil in balanced anesthesia: a double-blind study.

A double-blind study comparing four narcotic analgesics of different potencies, meperidine, morphine, fentanyl, and sufentanil, was performed on consenting patients undergoing general or orthopedic surgery under balanced anesthesia. Blood pressure, measured through an indwelling arterial catheter, was recorded continuously, as were ECG and heart rates. The narcotics, made up in equipotent concentrations, were given as indicated by hemodynamic and clinical signs. Arterial blood samples were taken before and after induction, after intubation, before and after incision, at intervals during the operation, and postoperatively. Hemodynamic values and plasma levels of catecholamines during and after induction, intubation, incision, and throughout the operation were least in patients given sufentanil and greatest in those who received morphine or meperidine. Heart rates increased significantly after induction with meperidine and were significantly higher after intubation in morphine-treated and meperidine-treated patients than they were in patients receiving sufentanil. Intraoperatively, mean arterial blood pressure, rate-pressure product, and plasma norepinephrine levels were lowest in patients receiving sufentanil. Intraoperative plasma epinephrine levels were lowest in patients receiving sufentanil and meperidine. Because of increases in blood pressure, heart rate, or both to greater than 15% above control values, supplementation with a potent inhalational agent was necessary in 38%, 30%, and 29% of the patients given meperidine, morphine, and fentanyl, respectively. No sufentanil patient required supplementation. Side effects, including histamine release accompanied by tachycardia and hypotension, were most frequent and most severe in patients who received meperidine. After extubation, marked increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine occurred in some patients in each group. The incidence of postoperative respiratory depression was greatest in patients given morphine (mean dose of naloxone 8.6 micrograms/kg) and least with sufentanil (mean dose of naloxone 1.8 micrograms/kg) and fentanyl (3.2 micrograms/kg naloxone).

Adolescent↗

Meperidine as a spinal anesthetic agent: a comparison with lidocaine-glucose.

The anesthetic effect of 2 ml of 5% lidocaine in 7.5% glucose (LG) or 5% meperidine in water were evaluated and compared in 40 ASA class 1 or 2 patients. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the two groups (20 patients in each) according to the anesthetic agent, which was injected into the lumbar subarachnoid space in the sitting position. The patients remained sitting for 5 min before being placed in the supine position. Times of onset of sensory and complete motor blockade were significantly more rapid with LG. The extent of maximum cephalad spread of analgesia and the time to maximum height of analgesia in the two groups were not different. Duration of analgesia at the T-7 (48.96 +/- 6.64 min with LG, 44.74 +/- 6.14 min with meperidine; means +/- SEM) and L-1 (94.37 +/- 7.42 min with LG, 76.19 +/- 5.64 min with meperidine) dermatomes was not different in the two groups but was statistically longer at the T-10 dermatome with LG (66.83 +/- 6.72 min) than with meperidine (46.66 +/- 6.26 min). The duration of complete motor blockade was also significantly longer with LG (66.44 +/- 7.05 min) than with meperidine (42.67 +/- 4.47 min). Complications in both groups included decrease in blood pressure and nausea and vomiting intraoperatively, and urinary retention, nausea and vomiting, and mild headache postoperatively. Complications that occurred only in the meperidine group were intraoperative drowsiness, respiratory depression, bronchospasm, and itching. The frequency of complications was greater wit meperidine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

The clinical relevance of the drug displacement interaction between meperidine and bupivacaine.

The effect of meperidine at two clinically relevant concentrations (0.4 and 0.8 microgram/ml) on the serum protein binding of bupivacaine was studied. The serum protein binding profile for meperidine was characterized over a wide concentration range (0.5-100 micrograms/ml). All bupivacaine binding experiments were characterized by a two classes of binding sites model. Bupivacaine binding was independent of added meperidine. Meperidine binding was characterized by a one class of binding sites model and the unbound meperidine concentration was relatively constant over the entire range studied. The capacity and affinity of the meperidine binding site are suggestive of binding primarily to albumin. At clinically encountered meperidine concentrations, no increased toxicity due to an increase in unbound bupivacaine would be expected.

Binding, Competitive↗

Meperidine for the treatment of shaking chills and fever.

Meperidine hydrochloride was evaluated in a prospectively randomized double-blind study for its effectiveness in stopping shaking chills occurring with amphotericin B infusions. Seven patients were randomized on multiple occasions for a total of 19 reactions. In the meperidine group, nine of nine reactions stopped within 30 minutes of the administration of meperidine, with a mean cessation time of 10.8 minutes. The placebo group had a mean time of 37.4 minutes to cessation of reactions with three of ten reactions subsiding spontaneously. The mean dose of meperidine hydrochloride for cessation of reaction was 45 mg. The comparisons between meperidine and placebo for cessation of reaction within 30 minutes and the mean time to cessation of reaction were significantly different. Side effects with meperidine were minimal and less severe than the shaking chills and fever seen with amphotericin B infusions. Meperidine can eliminate these reactions more effectively and more rapidly than simply discontinuing the amphotericin B.

Adult↗

[Effect of high dosages of morphine and meperidine on haemodynamics, coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen consumption in comparison to fentanyl and piritramide (author's transl)].

Although morphine is one of the oldest drugs known to man, it has only recently been used in large doses as an anesthetic agent. The main advantage is the cardiovascular stability. The purpose of this investigation was to study the circulatory response to high equianalgesic doses of morphine and meperidine. In 10 closed chest dogs during normoventilation and light background-anaesthesia (0.5 Vol. % halthane; N2O:O2 = 2:1) 2.0 mg/kg morphine and 15.0 mg/kg meperidine were given at random. Morphine produced a decrease in mean arterial blood pressure by 28%, which was paralleled by an identical fall in total peripheral resistance. No negative inotropic effects were found. In contrast to this, the severe hypotension developing with meperidine (decrease in blood pressure by 54%) was the result of peripheral vasodilatation (46%) and of myocardial depression indicated by a sharp drop in dp/dtmax (59%), dp/dtmax/IP (14%) and in left ventricular ejection fraction (33%). Utilizing the thermodilution technique, the cardiac output remained largely unaffected with both narcotic analgesics, as the increase in heart rate (morphine 27%; meperidine 101%) compensated for the fall in stroke volume (morphine 19%; meperidine 55%). In spite of the altered haemodynamics there was no change in the myocardial energy demand, which was adequately met by the coronary blood flow measured with the pressure-difference technique. Both, morphine and meperidine, produced initially an increase in coronary blood flow and coronary venous oxygen saturation indicating coronary vasodilation. While the mechanism for the change in cardiovascular status with high doses of morphine is vasodilatation probably due to histamine release, the results of this study suggest a peripheral as well as a central (myocardial depression) site of action with meperidine. The results obtained from this study were compared with the data from a previous investigation on equianalgesic doses of fentanyl and piritramide and their clinical implications were discussed.

Animals↗

Intrapartum vibratory acoustic stimulation after maternal meperidine administration.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of the acoustic stimulation test in the interpretation of suspicious cardiotocograms obtained after meperidine administration to the mother during the first stage of labor. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We studied 45 unselected parturients who received 50 mg meperidine i.m. when cervical dilatation was 5 cm. In all cases a decreased beat-to-beat variability of the fetal heart rate and fetal movements was noted after the injection of meperidine. A vibratory acoustic stimulation was performed in 25 patients (group A) while the remaining 20 (group B) had no stimulation. RESULTS: After the meperidine injection, the acoustic-induced reactivity returned immediately in group A, while the spontaneous reactivity returned 30 minutes later. The mean number of fetal movements in all parturients was 8.71 +/- 2.18 before meperidine administration. Sixty minutes after the meperidine injection the mean number was 8.52 +/- 2.48 in group A and 1.65 +/- 1.81 in group B (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The acoustic stimulation test is an effective method of interpreting suspicions CTG's obtained after meperidine administration to the mother during the first stage of labour.

Acoustic Stimulation↗