Chicago—Women who suffer grade 3 or 4 perineal lacerations during vaginal delivery consume significantly more opioids than their counterparts who do not, a study found, and virtually none of these women with higher-grade lacerations received neuraxial morphine. That finding surprised the researchers and illustrated the need for a department-wide protocol to address the analgesic needs of these patients.
“There has been very little data looking at pain scores after vaginal delivery