ACOG news release.Following is a recent ACOG ACOG American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists press release we thought you should be aware of. We would love to hear what your thoughts on this policy are. Send responses to kalzub@rootcom.net. ACOG Supports Epidural Pain Relief on Demand In response to reports that some hospitals are denying anesthesia pain relief to women in labor until they have reached a certain stage of labor, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is a professional association of medical doctors specializing in obstetrics and gynecology in the United States. It has a membership of over 49,000[1] and represents 90 percent of U.S. (ACOG) today reaffirmed its position that a woman's request for pain relief during any stage of labor is sufficient medical indication to provide it. ACOG has received information that some hospitals are requiring that women in labor reach 4 to 5 centimeters (cm) of dilation dilation /di·la·tion/ (di-la´shun) 1. the act of dilating or stretching. 2. dilatation. di·la·tion n. 1. before being given anesthesia pain relief. Hospitals are doing so because some studies have indicated that the risk of cesarean delivery is increased when anesthesia is given early in labor. ACOG supports waiting, when feasible, to give laboring women epidurals or anesthesia until they have dilated 4-5 cm. However, because labor produces severe pain for many women, ACOG believes that a woman's request for an epidural or anesthesia should be the deciding factor, even if she hasn't yet reached 4-5 cm dilation. ACOG reaffirms its earlier committee opinion, published jointly with the American Society of Anesthesiologists The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an association of physicians (primarily anesthesiologists) whose stated goal is to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and improve the care of the patient. (ASA Asa (ā`sə), in the Bible, king of Judah, son and successor of Abijah. He was a good king, zealous in his extirpation of idols. When Baasha of Israel took Ramah (a few miles N of Jerusalem), Asa bought the help of Benhadad of Damascus and ), that while under a physician's care, in the absence of a medical contraindication contraindication /con·tra·in·di·ca·tion/ (-in?di-ka´shun) any condition which renders a particular line of treatment improper or undesirable. con·tra·in·di·ca·tion n. , women in labor should be given pain relief/anesthesia upon request. According to ACOG/ASA, there is no other circumstance where it is considered acceptable for a person to experience untreated severe pain that is amenable to safe intervention. --January 31, 2002 Following is a recent ACOG press release we thought you should be aware of. We would love to hear what your thoughts on this policy are. Send responses to kalzub@rootcom.net |
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