Högskolan i Skövde

Objective To investigate whether, during injections of sterile water, there is any difference in perceived pain between intracutaneous and subcutaneous injections.

Design Blind controlled trial with cross-over design.

Setting Göteborg and Skövde, Sweden.

Participants One hundred healthy female volunteers.

Methods The women were randomised into two groups and subjected to two trials, within one week of each other. During the first trial one group ( n= 50 ) received the intracutaneous injection first, followed by the subcutaneous injection. The second group ( n= 50 ) was given the subcutaneous injection first, followed by intracutaneous injection. In both groups all the injections were given in reverse order during the second trial.

Main outcome measures Experienced pain during the administration of sterile water injections, measured by visual analogue scale.

Results The analysis showed intracutaneous injections to be significantly more painful than subcutaneous injections, even after adjusting for injection day and for left/right site of injection (mean 60.8 vs 41.3,  P < 0.001 ).

Conclusions The findings suggest that the less painful subcutaneous injection technique should be used.

Two methods for pain relief and relaxation during labour are sterile water injections and acupuncture. In several studies, sterile water injections have been shown to provide good pain relief, particularly for low back pain during labour. The acupuncture studies for pain relief during labour are not as concordant. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore if there were any differences between acupuncture and sterile water injections regarding pain relief and relaxation during labour. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial. Some 128 pregnant women at term were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture (n=62) or sterile water injections (n=66). The primary endpoint was to compare the differences between pre-treatment pain levels and maximum pain in the 2 groups. RESULTS: The main results of this study were that sterile water injections yielded greater pain relief (p<0.001) during childbirth compared to acupuncture. The secondary outcome showed that women in the sterile water group had a higher degree of relaxation (p<0.001) compared to the acupuncture group. The women's own assessment of the effects also favoured sterile water injections (p<0.001). There were no significant differences regarding requirements for additional pain relief after treatment between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Women given sterile water injection experience less labour pain compared to women given acupuncture.

Acupuncture and sterile water injections are nonpharmacological pain relief methods used for labor pain in Swedish delivery wards. Their use has changed over time, the reasons for which are unclear, and acupuncture is currently in more common use than sterile water injections. The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical use of acupuncture and sterile water injections as pain relief and relaxation during childbirth in Sweden. Methods: Twelve hundred questionnaires were sent out to all delivery wards in Sweden. Nine hundred sixty midwives fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and the response rate was 565 (59%). Results: Acupuncture was used for both pain relief and relaxation, whereas sterile water injections were used almost exclusively for pain relief. The midwives' own choice of pain relief during childbirth for a possible future delivery was similar to their choice of method in clinical practice. Conclusions: Our study shows that acupuncture was used for both pain relief and relaxation, whereas sterile water injections were used almost exclusively for pain relief. The results also indicate a weakness in midwives' awareness and use of scientific knowledge and general recommendations about these methods

Objective To evaluate the relief of pain in labour with subcutaneous and intracutaneous injections of sterile water, compared with placebo.

Design Randomised controlled trial.

Setting Labour ward with approximately 3000 deliveries annually in a suburban area near Gothenburg, Sweden.

Participants Ninety-nine pregnant women at term, requiring pain relief for severe lower back pain during the first stage of labour. The women were randomised to receive four injections of 0.1 mL sterile water (without salt) intracutaneously ( n= 33 ), four injections of 0.5 mL sterile water subcutaneously ( n= 33 ) or placebo treatment ( n= 33 ).

Main outcome measures Reduction of labour pain measured by visual analogue scale.

Results The median visual analogue scale pain score for labour pain was significantly lower compared with initial values in the two study groups and compared with placebo at 10 and 45 minutes after treatment. The median reductions in visual analogue scores after 10 minutes were 5.0 cm and 4.5 cm in the intracutaneous and subcutaneous injection groups, respectively; women in the placebo group scored a median reduction of 1.7 cm. After 45 minutes the median reductions in the visual analogue scores were 4.9 cm and 4.0 cm in the intracutaneous and subcutaneous injection groups, respectively, compared with 1.0 cm for women in the placebo group. No significant differences in analgesic effect or pain experienced during administration were found between the two study groups.

Conclusion The new subcutaneous method of administering sterile water, as well as the earlier described intracutaneous injection method, were effective for the relief of pain in labour.