Regional Blood Flow Spectral Parameters as Predictors of Epidural-Related Maternal Fever: A Prospective Observational Study

Abstract Background Epidural-related maternal fever (ERMF) is a common phenomenon that appears to be unique to laboring women and presents diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas for anesthesiologists. It is crucial to identify and predict the occurrence of ERMF at an early stage to improve the outcomes for mothers and infants. Method A total of 103 women who had vaginal deliveries with epidural labor analgesia (ELA) were recruited into the study. Pulsed-wave Doppler (PWD) ultrasound was used to measure peak systolic velocity (PSV, cm/s) and end-diastolic velocity (EDV, cm/s) in the regions of the anterior and posterior tibial arteries. Measurements were taken 1 minute before induction of analgesia and at 5-minute intervals for the subsequent 30 minutes. The change of PSV (△PSV) and EDV (△EDV) at 30 minutes relative to baseline after induction of analgesia was calculated. Participants were categorized into two groups based on their body temperature during labor and delivery: febrile and afebrile. The study compared the differences in blood flow spectral parameters between the two groups. Results Of the 103 study participants, 73 were ultimately included for analysis. Thirteen participants (17.8%) in the study developed ERMF. PSV was significantly higher in the febrile group than the non-febrile group at 10 min after ELA (P < 0.05). In contrast, EDV showed a significant difference between the two groups at 15 min after ELA (P < 0.01). Based on linear correlation analysis, there was a positive correlation between PSV and EDV at 30 minutes after analgesia induction and the peak labor temperature (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis identified a cut-off value of 43.35 and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.701 for △PSV in the anterior tibial artery region (95% CI 0.525 to 0.878, P = 0.025) and a cut-off value of 29.94 and an AUC of 0.733 for △EDV (95% CI 0.590 to 0.877, P = 0.001). The cut-off value for △PSV in the region of the posterior tibial artery was 39.96 with an AUC of 0.687 (95% CI 0.514 to 0.860, P = 0.034), and the cut-off value for △EDV was 33.10 with an AUC of 0.713 (95% CI 0.558 to 0.869, P = 0.007). Conclusion Regional blood flow spectral parameters after epidural analgesia induction can predict the occurrence of ERMF by indirectly reflecting the degree of sympathetic activity inhibition. Specifically, the amount of change in peak systolic velocity and end-diastolic velocity relative to baseline parameters 30 min after ELA induction was the most predictive. Trial registration The research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Women and Children’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen university Ethics Committee. The study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (reference number: ChiCTR2400080507,31/01/2024).