Application of patient-controlled analgesia in obstetric analgesia

Patient-controlled analgesia(PCA) is such a technique, based on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, standardized by plasma or effect compartment drug concentration, and regulated by certain process of computer in administrating rate,that provides the patient with self-administrating analgesics referring to the requirement of analgesia. As its safeness and convenience, PCA is widely applied in pain management, including obstetric analgesia. A lot of study suggests that PCA has greater advantages than conventional techniques in obstetric analgesia. For example, PCA provides better pain control, greater patient satisfaction and safeness,lesser motor blockage,lower local anesthetics dose and anesthetists' work loading.