Differential sensory block during labour epidural analgesia: a prospective observational study to investigate the relationship of lower and upper sensory block levels to cold, pinprick, and light touch

Purpose A zone of differential block to cold has been recently documented during labour epidural analgesia, with an upper sensory block level (USBL) and a lower sensory block level (LSBL). We aimed to determine the correlation between USBL and LSBL to cold and pinprick and sensory block level to light touch during labour epidural analgesia. Methods We conducted a prospective observational study in patients requesting labour epidural analgesia. We placed an epidural catheter at L2/L3 or L3/L4, followed by a programmed intermittent epidural bolus plus patient-controlled epidural analgesia regimen. We assessed the sensory block levels 140 min after administering the loading dose. The primary outcomes were the USBL and LSBL to cold and pinprick and the sensory block level to light touch. Results We studied 30 patients. The median [interquartile range (IQR)] USBL and LSBL to ice were T7 [T7–T6] and T9 [T10–T8], respectively. The median [IQR] USBL and LSBL to pinprick were T8 [T10–T6] and T10 [T12–T10], respectively. There was a strong correlation between USBL to ice and pinprick (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.57) and between LSBL to ice and pinprick (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.52). There was no significant correlation between sensory block level to light touch and either USBL or LSBL to ice or pinprick. Conclusion We observed two sensory block levels to ice and pinprick. Further studies are required to understand if one modality—cold or pinprick—is superior to the other in assessing sensory block levels in this context. Light touch is unreliable as a modality of sensory block assessment during labour epidural analgesia. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05187962); registered 12 January 2022.