High-Volume Patient-Controlled Epidural Versus Programmed Intermittent Epidural Bolus for Labor Analgesia: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

(Anaesthesia. 2023;78(9):1129–1138) Neuraxial labor analgesia is a well-established and effective method for managing pain during labor. The initiation of analgesia through epidural or combined spinal-epidural methods can be followed by various maintenance techniques, including continuous epidural infusion, manual intermittent boluses, patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), programmed intermittent epidural bolus (PIEB), or a combination of these approaches. Adding PCEA to a continuous infusion was long-favored, demonstrating benefits such as reduced breakthrough pain incidents, lower local anesthetic consumption without compromising efficacy, and heightened patient satisfaction compared with continuous epidural infusion.