In healthy women at low risk of complications, does water immersion in first stage of labor decrease the number of women receiving epidural anesthesia?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWERYes. In low-risk laboring women, water immersion in the first stage of labor is a safe intervention that decreases epidural anesthesia use with a number needed to treat (NNT) of 26 (SOR: A, meta-analysis of consistent randomized controlled trials). Water immersion should be offered to reduce use of epidural anesthesia and is a safe procedure (SOR: C, consensus guideline).
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