Epidural-Related Fever Linked With Adverse Neonatal Outcomes

It remains unclear whether control of fever would ameliorate adverse effects.

Although limited by several factors, including the fact that few women (n = 10) not receiving an epidural developed fever in this study, thereby precluding meaningful analysis of neonatal outcomes in that group, and by the fact that undiagnosed neonatal or maternal infections may have caused the increase in adverse neonatal outcomes, the findings raise important concerns about the risks of epidural-related intrapartum maternal temperature.

"Although many of the specific outcomes we found associated with elevated maternal temperature may be transient, it is possible that particularly the increase in early-onset neonatal seizures could have implications for longer-term health of the infant," they concluded.

This study was supported in part by a Predoctoral Individual Ruth L. Kerschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to Dr. Greenwell.