Gestational Diabetes and Intraoperative Tubal Sterilization are Risk Factors for Pain After Cesarean Delivery: A Prospective Observational Study.

Abstract

Background: Postcesarean delivery pain leads to several adverse maternal outcomes. The primary objective of this study was to determine the incidence of moderate-to-severe pain after the use of spinal morphine for cesarean delivery. The secondary aim was to identify the factors influencing the moderate-to-severe pain.Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at a single university hospital. The inclusion criteria were a patient age of ≥ 18 years, and undergoing elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia with intrathecal morphine (200 mcg). Moderate-to-severe pain was defined as a numerical-rating-scale score of more than 3 within 24 hours postoperatively. Patients’ demographic characteristics, preoperative obstetric data, and intraoperative and postoperative data were collected and analyzed.Results: In all, 660 patients were enrolled. As 16 were subsequently removed because they met the study withdrawal criteria, data relating to 644 patients were analyzed. The incidence of moderate-to-severe pain during the first postoperative day was 451/644 patients (70.03%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 66.38%–73.44%). The median pain score (interquartile range [IQR]) was 5 (3–6), with 176/644 (27.33%) of patients requiring a rescue analgesic. A multivariate analysis revealed that two factors were associated with moderate-to-severe pain on the first postoperative day: gestational diabetes (adjusted OR [AOR], 1.849; 95% CI, 1.068–3.203; p-value = 0.028), and intraoperative tubal sterilization (AOR, 1.533; 95% CI, 1.060–2.218; p = 0.023). A significantly higher number of patients experienced moderate-to-severe pain on postoperative Day 1 (451/644 [70.03%]) than Day 2 (348/644 [54.19%]; p < 0.001). The median pain score (IQR) on postoperative Day 2 was 4 (3–5), which was less than that for Day 1 (p < 0.001).Conclusions: A high incidence of moderate-to-severe postoperative pain was found after a single dose of spinal morphine for cesarean delivery. Gestational diabetes and intraoperative tubal sterilization were the independent factors correlated with the pain.Trial registration: Clinicaltrial.gov registration number NCT03205813