PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Linda S. Niehaus AU - Benjamin W. Chaska AU - Robert E. Nesse TI - The Effects Of Epidural Anesthesia On Type Of Delivery AID - 10.3122/jabfm.1.4.238 DP - 1988 Oct 01 TA - The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice PG - 238--244 VI - 1 IP - 4 4099 - http://www.jabfm.org/content/1/4/238.short 4100 - http://www.jabfm.org/content/1/4/238.full SO - J Am Board Fam Med1988 Oct 01; 1 AB - A retrospective cohort study of 626 low-risk patients admitted for labor and delivery under the care of a family physician was designed to test the hypothesis that epidural anesthesia increases the frequency of instrumental and operative deliveries. The crude odds ratio of instrumental or operative delivery in women electing to have epidural anesthesia was 9.56 (95 percent confidence interval, 5.57 to 16.40; P < 0.001). Controlling for bias by multivariate analysis did not change the conclusion indicated by the crude odds ratio-use of elective epidural anesthesia results in markedly increased odds of instrumental or operative delivery.