Urinary Catheterization and Second Stage of Labor

Plain-language summary

* Labor is divided into three stages: the first stage is from labor onset until full dilation, second stage is from full dilation until delivery of the baby, and the third stage from the delivery of the baby until the delivery of the placenta * The mean duration of second stage in nulliparas as defined by the American college of obstetricians and gynecologists (ACOG) is 54 minutes * Epidural anesthesia is a known cause for prolongation of the second stage of labor. Prolonged second stage in nullipara women with epidural is defined as more than 3 hours, and more than 2 hours in those without epidural. * Although perinatal outcome is not compromised with a prolonged second stage , there is evidence that maternal morbidities such as perineal trauma, chorioamnionitis ,instrumental delivery and postpartum hemorrhage increase with prolonged second stage * Another effect of epidural anesthesia during labor is urinary retention and a need for catheterization. * Full bladder may behave as a tumor previa and interfere to fetal head descent in the birth canal, increasing by that the duration of the second stage. * This study aims to investigate the effect of intermittent versus continuous catheterization on the duration of the second stage of labor

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