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Maternal and cord plasma concentrations of β‐lipotrophin, β‐endorphin and γ‐lipotrophin at delivery; effect of analgesia
Author(s) -
BROWNING A. J. F.,
BUTT W. R.,
LYNCH S. S.,
SHAKESPEAR R. A.,
CRAWFORD J. SELWYN
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1983.tb06463.x
Subject(s) - anesthesia , medicine , cord , plasma concentration , pharmacology , surgery
Summary. Maternal venous plasma concentrations of β‐LPH, β‐EP and γ‐LPH were compared in (i) patients undergoing vaginal delivery, 11 with an epidural block and 13 with pethidine and nitrous oxide or no analgesics; (ii) patients delivered by caesarean section, 7 under epidural block and 8 under general anaesthesia. Patients delivered by either method under epidural block had significantly lower levels of all three peptides than those receiving no epidural. There were significant negative correlations between umbilical vein β‐LPH, β‐EP and γ‐LPH concentrations and umbilical artery pH and positive correlations between β‐LPH and β‐EP but not γ‐LPH and cord P CO2 in 29 patients. There was no relation between cord levels of any of the three peptides and the method of analgesia or the route of delivery. Although concentrations of all three peptides were closely correlated to one another in either maternal or cord plasma, there was no relationship between maternal and fetal levels.