Obstetric meperidine usage and assessment of neonatal status

Abstract

The purpose of this study was methodologic, namely to evaluate the sensitivity of a battery of tests to analgesic effects on neonatal psychophysiology. The test battery included habituation rate to an auditory stimulus, the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, and Apgar score. Subjects were 25 healthy, term infants born to mothers who received epidural anesthesia but different amounts of meperidine (0-150 mg). Results showed that infant tests reflecting inhibitory ability were most sensitive to meperidine, whereas tests reflecting spontaneously emitted responses were least sensitive.