What is patient controlled epidural anesthesia?
Patient controlled epidural anesthesia (PCEA) is just what it sounds like. It is a method of delivering epidural pain-relieving medicine that is partially controlled by the patient. The epidural placement is the exact same and a pump still gives the mother a fixed hourly amount of medication. When the patient experiences breakthrough pain with their epidural, they push a button that gives them a fixed bolus of pain-relieving medication in the epidural. This method is becoming more popular these days because it offers the patient a greater sense of control in the labor process. As far as quality of pain relief, the studies are mixed and because of this and increased hospital liability, PCEA is not offered everywhere. A mother in labor could still achieve the same results if she called the Anesthesiologist and got a bolus each time she has breakthrough pain with the epidural.
