Nitrous oxide analgesia for external cephalic version: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Study objective Our study sought to determine whether or not nitrous oxide analgesia decreases pain compared to oxygen placebo during external cephalic version for breech presentation. Procedural success may be limited by pain and anxiety. Although neuraxial anesthesia has been studied extensively for these procedures, many centers lack resources for routine use. Nitrous oxide is noninvasive, has minimal side effects and requires limited facilities. We hypothesized that its analgesic properties would decrease pain compared to oxygen placebo during external cephalic version. Design Double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial. Setting Labor and delivery triage room. Patients Forty-eight patients, ≥18 years of age, 37-weeks' gestation or beyond, singleton pregnancy, breech presentation, and American Society of Anesthesiology physical status I-III, having an external cephalic version. Interventions Patients undergoing external cephalic version were randomized to receive self-administered 50% nitrous oxide/50% oxygen versus 100% oxygen placebo. Measurements The primary outcome measured was intra-procedural pain. Secondary outcomes were intra-procedural anxiety, patient satisfaction, and procedure difficulty. Main results Forty-eight patients were enrolled; 23 received nitrous oxide and 25 received oxygen. No difference was noted in mean pain scores (nitrous oxide 5.5 ± 2.3, placebo 5.4 ± 2.7, [CI95% = −1.40, 1.51]; P = 0.943) or anxiety scores (nitrous oxide 1.6 ± 2.0, placebo 1.2 ± 1.8, [CI95% = −0.74, 1.45]; P = 0.515). Procedural difficulty (1–10 scale, 1 = very easy, 10 = extremely difficult) was not different between groups (nitrous oxide 6.1 ± 2.2, placebo 6.1 ± 3.2, [CI95% = −1.54, 1.66]; P = 0.944). There was a significant increase in the number of version attempts in the nitrous oxide group (nitrous oxide 3.9 ± 1.9, placebo 2.8 ± 1.4, [CI95% = 0.05, 2]; P = 0.046). Patient satisfaction was significantly lower in the nitrous oxide group (nitrous oxide 4.3 ± 4.0, placebo 6.9 ± 3.6, [CI95% = −4.93, −0.34]; P = 0.025). Conclusion Despite the desirable properties of nitrous oxide, there was no analgesic benefit over oxygen for external cephalic version. Its routine use for these procedures was not supported.